Leaders has revealed that it has spent over £25m this year on acquisitions – and made it very clear that its buying spree will go on.

In what will surely go down as a golden year for deals within the industry as all the major firms scooped up independents in their quest for expansion, Leaders said that 2015 will be a record year for its own growth.

Leaders, which began life as a single-branch lettings business in Brighton over 30 years ago, has acquired Heritage Property, with two branches in Leamington Spa and Kenilworth.

The Leaders network now has 113 branches across the UK, having acquired 11 new businesses and 32 additional branches over the last 12 months.

Leaders now has a presence in 22 counties, having taken its first steps in Worcestershire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire this year.

The firm now has more than 45,000 tenanted properties on its books and handles approximately £28.5m in rent every month.

Matthew Light, acquisitions director at Leaders, says: “We have spent more than £25m on acquiring new businesses this year, which has helped to take our branch network beyond 100 locations.

“With so much experience in this area, more [agency] vendors are now viewing us as the perfect acquirer of their company when they decide to sell.

“We have shown we always deliver on our promises, offer a smooth and simple due diligence and legal process and achieve high staff retention.

“2016 promises more of the same, with our plans for expansion shaping up to be more ambitious than ever.

“We are actively seeking lettings and sales businesses across all areas of England and Wales, so any owners who are thinking of selling over the next 12 months should get in touch to find out how we can help them achieve their goals.”

Heritage Property was owned and operated by Richard Hill and his wife Jane since 2001. They chose to sell it to pursue other interests.

The firm is now trading as ‘Heritage Property – Part of the Leaders Group’.

A spokesperson for Leaders said this was in line with usual practice.

He said: “We always retain the acquired brand for a period of time, though we are highly likely to rebrand the branches to Leaders in the near future.

“For us the key focus following an acquisition is to ensure we are delivering the high levels of customer service we take pride in.”