An interview with Brian Bradley

Bradleys Estate Agents is celebrating 20 years in the forefront of estate agency in the West Country.

Down the years Group Chairman Brian Bradley has dealt with everything from multi-million pound pads to a converted World War 2 concrete pill box on Burgh Island, a block of toilets at Newquay, and a bungalow at Brixham that had a nuclear bunker beneath it. 

He started Bradleys in premises in Exmouth’s Rolle Street in 1992 with three colleagues.  Today, 178 staff are employed running a string of 32 offices stretching from Taunton to Penzance – making  Bradleys the 9th largest independent estate agents in the country, and the 15th largest overall.

Despite such sustained growth Brian has never felt the need to move the business base away from Exmouth, the seaside town that has been home since settling there from Berkshire with his parents as a youth of 17. For the last six years Bradleys HQ has been located in the town’s leafy suburbs in a sizeable former Hotel with a staff of 35. “We bought it just before the slump,” he says, smiling wryly at the vagaries of the property market.  His spacious first floor office has pastel tones and comfy, light grey leather furniture. It exudes an air of becalmed gravitas personalised with photographs – including one of him with Jimmy Greaves.   

Brian was both Chairman and managing director until 18 months ago. Now the role of MD has been passed onto Francis Marshall, while Brian remains Chairman. “I set the policy of the business and look after the finances – and that dovetails in with what the other guys are doing,” he says.

“We have long term plans and short term plans – and something to fit in the middle. There is a lot of financial strategy that comes into it.”  Courteous and quietly spoken,  a twinkle in his eye suggests he doesn’t take himself too seriously despite the weight of responsibility. “I have never done a day’s work in my life because I enjoy what I do,” he says.

“The challenge is still there – I ought to retire but I don’t want to.” 

From his  first day  working in an estate agents’ office his enthusiasm has stood the test of time.

“I was bemused by everything that went on around me – but I loved it and that has never changed. Selling property is very interesting and competitive. You go out to win.”

Now 63, he has slightly taken his foot off the pedal – metaphorically speaking, at least, as he enjoys track days out with his BMW at Silverstone, Castle Coombe and Donington.

“I like my cars, and I play golf and spend time with my wife Joan.”  

After leaving school he joined the Lester Smith Partnership, becoming a partner himself in 1978, and selling the business to the Bristol and West in 1987. Two years after Bradleys was started the old business was bought back.

Brian is proud of the company logo with its all-embracing circle around the name. His 90-year-old mother is also a fan, regularly telling him where the latest ‘for sale’ signs have appeared, and how well Bradleys is doing. 

 The company motto, ‘people serving people’, is a maxim close to Brian’s heart .“Three words that mean a lot. ‘People’ are us – we are not machines; the second ‘people’ are our clients which we serve,” says Brian. “Some organisations don’t treat clients as people but simply as business. We like to treat them as people then hopefully they will come back to us. ”There are clients who have sold with Bradleys five times during the last 20 years. Brian, however, would be his own worst customer – having lived in his present home for 35 years!

The logo’s white circle, with its two arrows and yellow tick, reflects the company’s mission statement of offering a complete property service. “It is not only sales. People come back to rent properties or to have a survey done. We do conveyancing, have chartered surveyors, and offer a three-pronged financial service with advice on mortgage, investment and general insurance,” says Brian.

Since 2007 the market has, he says, changed “big time”. Bradleys reacted by expanding its rental portfolio and, as a result, doubled its foothold in this competitive arena.

“Renting is the way the market will be for evermore. Even if things changed over night they wouldn’t get back to what they were. I don’t think that’s possible – money was freer and people could borrow more easily.”

True to its motto, Bradleys has been built on people – the quality and loyalty of its staff helping keep it buoyant through turbulent times. “It is remarkable how many people have stayed over the 20 years. Cathy Nickels and Lisa Findel-Hawkins are two girls that started with us and are still here – having had a few children on the way,” says Brian. Founder managing directors Michael Dibble and Lyndon Bent have also been on board for the whole Bradleys journey. Proud of his team, and a great believer in a happy staff, Brian says the expansion of the business has been done within the capability of the people that work there. “If you have the right person in the office you will do well. If you haven’t you won’t. It’s black and white.” 

A shrewd businessman, one senses he has a paternal approach to Bradleys and appreciation of those who, over two decades, have helped make it the success it is.

“I have seen places where man management is appalling. That doesn’t sell you anything, or motivate someone to stay on an extra half hour and make some additional calls.”

For him such experiences didn’t illustrate how to treat staff – “but how not to.”

And that is why Bradleys has stood the test of time while less scrupulous businesses have not.

Ask him what he most enjoys about the business and he will tell you its “working with the people”.

He says Francis Marshall, Mike Dibble, Lyndon Bent and the other directors Chris Baxter and Richard Greetham along with Rick Mason do a “fantastic” job. “All have a real passion for success and they are a delight to work with.”

By Roger Malone (SWMG)