A US franchising giant that has launched in the UK has emphasised its determination to succeed where some others may have struggled in the past.

Michael Coffey, chief executive of the UK wing of Keller Williams, which went live last month, said he did not want to discuss specific competitors.

He went on: “They are interested in selling franchises. They go to franchise shows and recruit people with no experience of the industry. They give their recruits three or four days’ training.

“The client is then disappointed at the service they receive. Well, that model would fail in the US too.”

He added: “We don’t sell franchises – we award them, and it is a very detailed procedure which takes time.”

Coffey said Keller Williams – which ‘soft’ launched back in April, meaning it could start its recruitment drive – now has 27 agents signed up. Almost all are experienced estate agents and 60% are already trading.

Coffey hopes to add another five to ten signings by the end of this year, and by the end of next year have perhaps 300 agents and six to eight more offices around the UK – currently there is just one, in Victoria, London.

Next week, a new IT platform is due to go live.

Coffey, who has previously been a highly successful realtor for Keller Williams in the US, said he does not think the gap between the American and UK estate agency industries is as large as is generally claimed.

“When you peel back the layers, I don’t think we are all that different.”

He said that while US realtors appear to earn more commission, in reality the typical 6% fee has to be split between the listing agent – who works for the buyer – and the selling agent.

Both agents, who are typically self-employed but hiring space and resources at a company, then have to pay the firm.

Coffey said that UK agents do not do as much in terms of legal work for transactions, but said: “I have been very surprised at how highly productive estate agents are over here.

“In the US, there are a lot of part-timers. A single agent will do perhaps three or four transactions a year. Over here, it’s more like 18 per agent – and higher than that in places.”

Coffey stressed that Keller Williams will adapt to the UK market but will not change its core value of focus on customer service.

“Our business is like the John Lewis partnership model – everyone has to buy in to the greater vision of client service.”

US realtors are known for their huge conferences, big award ceremonies and lots of back-slapping. Will it be the same here? “The Brits are more reserved, so we’ll tone down the razzmatazz a bit,” said Coffey.

The firm will not, however, compromise on its three core values which it offers its franchisees. Coffey said: “We have a three-point mission statement: to offer careers worth having, businesses worth owning, and lives worth living.”

Nor is Coffey bothered about the competition offered by online agents: “There is a place for it, but as the saying goes, in the absence of value, money is always an issue.

“I believe that the vast majority of people aren’t interested in what they are paying, but they are interested in what they’re getting.

“I also think it is difficult to sustain a business when your main value proposition is that you charge less. If you charge less, you do less.”

He thinks many agents in the UK do a superb job in terms of the value they offer.

He said he has not yet made up his mind on the Agents’ Mutual issue: “I like it in theory, and we are meeting them. I have to work through whether it is in my clients’ best interests if they cannot also be on both Rightmove and Zoopla.”

And why did he come to London? His American wife had happily lived in London just before they met eight years ago, and he had promised her they would make their home here when they could.

He said: “I absolutely love it here. I walk past Buckingham Palace on my way to work every morning – and you couldn’t do that in America.”