The former Cumberland Estate Agents, the agency arm of Cumberland Building Society, has officially opened as Hunters Cumbria and South West Scotland.

It is headed by franchise owner Graeme MacLeod after a management buy-out, with the building society deciding to concentrate on its core lending products.

The re-brand means that it is Hunters’ first move into Scotland.

Under the new Hunters banner, the business will cover nine locations and over 120 miles of geography, making it the region’s largest estate agency by listings.

MacLeod said: “We have had a fantastic 27 years as part of the building society and will continue to harness our strong relationship with them.

“We felt becoming part of a strong national estate and lettings agency brand and having access to the benefits of a well-established franchising model was a crucial part of our growth as a company, and of huge benefit to our customer base.

“We had explored a couple of options but determined that Hunters was comfortably the best option for us as we are so closely aligned in terms of our philosophies, sharing an enthusiasm to respond to the needs and requirements of the modern consumer.

“Estate agency is and always will be about people first, but it is equally important to capitalise on digital innovation and technological advancements, which offer significant benefits to our staff and by extension our customers, allowing them to be better informed and at a faster pace too. We very much see it as a strengthening of the high street offering, rather than a dilution of it.

“Becoming part of an operation this vast is very important in this respect.”

Meanwhile a new Hunters franchise has opened in Ickenham, north London.

It becomes the third office for Craig and Carly Anderson who already operate Hunters outlets in Hayes and Hillingdon.

Hunters has over 200 branches in the UK and chief executive Glynis Frew said: “Craig is already one of our successful franchisees and I am delighted that he is taking on an additional branch.

“The brand continues to go from strength to strength against the backdrop of a challenging marketplace, with a combination of fantastic customer service, local expertise and an extensive technological offering ensuring we continue to offer a market-leading service.”