Harris + Wood will be expanding into Harwich and Tendring after completing the acquisition of Reid Residential in Essex.

Harris + Wood, which already covers parts of Essex, along with Sussex, has informed staff of its expansion plans.

An internal announcement to staff seen by EYE reads: “This expansion marks an important milestone for us, and we look forward to introducing a fresh and innovative approach to property marketing in the Tendring area, while continuing to deliver the outstanding customer service our clients have come to expect in the regions we already serve.”

EYE understands that the company will be rebranding the Reid Residential name immediately and launching Harris + Wood Harwich.

Aimee Surman-Wells, founder of Reid Residential, will be joining Harris + Wood  as the branch partner for the Harwich office and will be responsible for driving growth and market share in Tendring.

“The plan is to establish a Harwich/Tendring-based office in 2025,” the internal communication added. “This is an exciting opportunity to introduce the Harris Wood brand to a new audience, some of whom may not yet be familiar with us, while bringing fresh marketing strategies and innovation to a market eager for change.”

EYE has been informed that the existing Reid Residential website will remain live until all property stock has changed over and then divert to Harris + Wood’s platform.

Shane Harris, co-founder of the estate agency, said: “Our goal is to keep expanding and we’re still big believers in an excellent high street offering even with all the talk of online and self employed model.

“The formula is the right person for the right area. Once we’ve identified a strong candidate who can put houses on the market and has a good reputation, we believe we can build a business off the back of that!

“Aimee has a great network in Harwich and surrounding and all her clients adore her. She just needs support, as running an estate agency on your own [which she does currently] is a mammoth task, especially if you want to grow. So that’s what made our decision [to buy her agency] easy.”