Carter Jonas has strengthened its position in the south west with the acquisition of Bristol-based independent commercial property consultancy, Williams Gunter Hardwick.

Williams Gunter Hardwick is active in the Office, Industrial and Retail markets. The firm has a strong presence in the West Country and the retail team acts for various clients on instructions throughout the UK.  Examples include Virgin Media, McDonalds and Ladbrokes Coral. The firm is involved in a number of major projects in the Bristol area for CEG, St Modwen and Bristol Sport whilst it also acts for financial services giant, Hargreaves Lansdown. The team have also been responsible for a number of big shed acquisitions in the region and beyond for clients such as iForce Group, Lidl and Yankee Candles. 

As part of the acquisition, Carter Jonas will open a new 5,000 sq ft office in the prime Clifton quarter of Bristol. The office will initially accommodate over 40 people, including the team from Williams Gunter Hardwick - overseen by founding Partners, Stuart Williams and Andrew Hardwick, who are relocating from their existing premises at Clifton Heights – joined by the Carter Jonas teams, led by Partners Philip Marshall and James Stephen, currently working out of St James House in Bath.

Carter Jonas will continue to have a major presence in the city centre of Bath. As part of the company’s expansion in the south west, the residential sales, lettings and new homes office in Wood Street, Bath is being reconfigured to provide the Commercial, Rural, Planning & Development teams with an excellent co-working space.

Mark Granger, Chief Executive, Carter Jonas said: “During the last two years we have made a significant investment in the south west, increasing our exposure by opening four new offices whilst expanding our capabilities and geographical reach across the region. The acquisition of Williams Gunter Hardwick is another key milestone in this development. It provides us with a unique opportunity to build on the excellent work of our existing team whilst securing a firm foothold in the Bristol market – a long-held ambition for our business.”

“Like Carter Jonas, Williams Gunter Hardwick is renowned for its Partner-led, joined up, client focussed approach that realises the full potential of a client’s property assets. This ethos complements that of our own, and we look forward to working with Stuart, Andrew, and the rest of the team to build on the scope and reach of our work, to explore opportunities for new and current clients.”

Andrew Hardwick, Director , Williams Gunter Hardwick said: “We are delighted to join Carter Jonas with which we share the ethos of client service and independence. This is an exciting opportunity for the whole team to work with our new colleagues especially those from Bath.  It is a fresh challenge for both teams and we are looking forward to it.”

Carter Jonas has grown significantly in recent years with a turnover of £60.8m in the year to 30 April 2018, a 78% increase in turnover in the last five years.

This is the latest deal in a series of acquisitions by Carter Jonas. Most recently the firm acquired Kemp & Kemp, an Oxfordshire planning and development consultancy. This followed the acquisition of New Square Holdings that included Cambridge based commercial and planning consultancy Januarys.

The acquisition of Williams Gunter Hardwick is effective from 1 May 2019, from which date Williams Gunter Hardwick will trade as Carter Jonas LLP. Stuart Williams, Andrew Hardwick and Bridget Hardwick join Carter Jonas as Partners.