Cotswolds agent Butler Sherborn has merged with Kemp & Kemp Residential to expand into Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

The deal means Kemp & Kemp Residential, with branches in Oxford and Wantage, will rebrand as Butler Sherborn.

Butler Sherborn said that as the result of the merger a “significant” business is being created, offering sales, land and new homes, as well as consultancies specialising in renewable energy, equestrian and farms & estates.

Sam Butler, senior partner and founder of Butler Sherborn, said: “With the recovery of the property market now well under way, and given the geography covered by both firms, joining forces struck us as both a natural progression and excellent fit.

“I have known Gavin West professionally for some years and our respective firms have worked very successfully together on a number of transactions over this time.

“Given its status as an internationally renowned city, Oxford is hugely strategic for us, and under the Butler Sherborn brand we will be able to build both a significant urban and rural presence.”

Gavin West, managing director of the former Kemp & Kemp Residential, said: “This strategic partnership will help transform our previous business into a much more sophisticated and broad-based organisation.

“Both firms have long-established reputations, and these two well-respected estate agencies are already noted for providing a ‘local’ and serious alternative to the national agency brands.”

Butler Sherborn was founded in 1991 and Kemp & Kemp Residential in 2003. Between them, they have a staff headcount of nearly 40.