A Midlands agency has marked its 30th anniversary by acquiring a long-established counterpart.

John Shepherd, which operates branches in Birmingham, Solihull, Shirley, Harborne and Cannock, has bought the residential lettings and sales business of Clothier & Day, a family-run independent based in Stafford to the north of Birmingham, adding a further 130 properties to its 2,500-plus rental portfolio.

The deal sees Jamie Smith – son of the retiring joint founder of Clothier & Day, Alan Smith – transfer to the John Shepherd team.

Richard Crathorne, Chief Executive of John Shepherd, part of the expanding Lomond Group of residential lettings and sales agencies across England and Scotland, said: “This deal represents an inch-perfect geographical and business fit for John Shepherd.

“We already share the same footprint so this injection of properties will dovetail seamlessly into our Midlands network of High Street branches.

“The acquisition is also a great people fit. Jamie shares the same local knowledge, industry insight, and high customer service standards on which we pride ourselves.

“As an agency proud of our local roots, we are thrilled to retain and draw upon this expertise.”

He added: “At the end of a challenging year for the country, this acquisition is a timely signal of our continued vote of confidence in the private rented sector, and the all-year-round appeal of Birmingham and the Midlands as a place to live, work, visit and study.

“Other acquisitions are being primed by John Shepherd and the wider Lomond Group to accelerate our growth momentum. These will enable us to launch in new locations and scale up in existing ones at pace.

“We also wish a happy retirement to Alan Smith, who has been a well-respected figure in the local property world for many, many years.”