Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward has opened two new offices this year and announced four more new openings in the first half of this year.

Meanwhile prime London firm JLL, best known for its high-end Knightsbridge office of W.A. Ellis, is to open in EastEnders territory.

JLL is to launch a branch in Stratford, east London, at the end of this month.

It is also expanding into Nine Elms in the spring.

The firm has also announced the appointment of Michael Whittaker, who joins from Felicity J Lord, to run the JLL office in Canary Wharf. He has significant track record in growing business across the east end.

Another new appointment for JLL is that of Laura Ochoa, pictured, who has joined to set up a corporate relocations department.

She started her career at Foxtons, moving to Marsh & Parsons and then Hamptons.

JLL merged with W.A. Ellis in 2014.

JLL was formerly, and remains better known as,  Jones Lang LaSalle.

Separately, Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward has already opened two branches, in Fulham and Catford, since the start of this year.

It plans to open more branches in Earls Court, Clerkenwell, Southfields and Battersea within the next six months.

The firm, established in 1977, now employs over 800 staff in 50-plus offices across London.

A third London firm opening a new office, in Richmond, is Chestertons.

The firm has also announced a string of promotions, including those of Guy Gittins, former sales director in Chelsea, and Cory Askew, who retains his responsibility as area director for east London, co-opted to the operational board.

Robert Bartlett, group CEO of Chestertons, said: “Following on from what was a bit of a stop-start year in 2015, we are anticipating an incredibly busy 2016, and already the first few weeks of the new year have borne out our hopes that the sales market in particular will be very active indeed.”