Winkworth’s Crouch End office has been acquired by Abbie Greisman and Robert Upton, who will now run the franchised branch together.
The office is located in the North London suburb, an area known for its residential appeal and high street featuring a concentration of independent shops.
Abbie Greisman has over 20 years’ experience in property, primarily with large corporate agencies. She worked at Savills in residential research before moving into residential sales in Islington.
Robert Upton has more than 30 years’ experience in the property sector. He began as a negotiator in Islington before acquiring and expanding a two-office agency in Greenwich and Blackheath into a three-branch business, which was later sold to King Sturge (now JLL). He also worked as a land buyer, advising on acquisitions and development opportunities.
Greisman and Upton first met while working in estate agency and became business partners after forming a personal partnership eight years ago.
Upton said: “The defining moment for us was realising that, between us, we had strong, well-rounded experience in the property industry. We also had a clear vision for how we would run our own business, and we increasingly felt constrained working for others.
“While we considered going independent, meeting Winkworth showed us the franchise offered the ideal balance – the independence of running our own business, backed by the strength and reputation of an established brand, which would have taken years to build on our own.
“With our combined experience, work ethic and shared vision, we felt confident we could build something successful together, with the flexibility our busy lives require.”
Really interesting to see another established franchise change hands, and congratulations to the new owners.
With the broker model gaining serious momentum, and the high street consolidating under the weight of rising costs, staffing challenges and experienced agents moving into self-employed networks, I do wonder how traditional franchise models will adapt.
Taking on a franchise still comes with significant fixed costs and long-term commitments. When agents can now launch under a network brand with far lower overhead and greater flexibility, does the historic model still stack up in quite the same way?
Either way, I wish the new franchisees every success. The next five years will be telling for the whole industry.
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