Hamptons International has acquired a long-established independent, Humphreys Skitt & Co, for an undisclosed sum.

It is the second acquisition by Hamptons this year, with the firm – which is part of Countrywide – planning to expand its UK network which currently consists of 73 branches in London and the south.

Humphreys Skitt & Co, which goes back to 1793, has offices in Blackheath and Greenwich, London.

The acquisition includes the sales, property management and land and new homes divisions of the business.

Hamptons has already started recruitment to establish a new lettings operation which will strengthen the existing services currently offered by the Humphreys Skitt & Co team.

The company will retain its name, but trade as “Humphreys Skitt & Co  in Association with Hamptons International”.

Mark Maynard, managing director of Humphreys Skitt & Co, who has been with the firm since he graduated in 1979, said: “The opportunity to be a part of a larger company offers our staff and our clients a wealth of opportunity and additional benefits.

“We believe this will place us in a unique position locally, combining our local knowledge and reputation with Hamptons International’s formidable market reach.”

Earlier this year, Hamptons bought Preston Bennett.

Hamptons itself was acquired by Countrywide in 2010.