CENTURY 21 UK, the fastest growing estate agency franchise in the UK, has today revealed that 2014 was a year of stellar growth and activity for the business.

At its annual review held in the Soho House Hotel, London earlier this month, CENTURY 21 UK outlined how the operation has developed over the course of the last year and its ambitious plans for the future.

Figures announced on the day included a 67% increase in the total turnover of CENTURY 21 UK franchisees compared to 2013 and a 12.5% increase in the number of instructions in the second half of 2014 compared to the first six months.

Throughout the 12 months of 2014, CENTURY 21 UK granted agreements to open 21 new franchise offices, compared to nine in 2013, with a particular focus on London with 16 new franchisees. CENTURY 21 UK’s 2014 new office numbers place it in the top 10 for CENTURY 21 globally and the second-fastest growing operation in Europe.

CENTURY 21 UK anticipate six new offices opening during February and March this year, with a further seven in the process of securing and establishing new premises. CENTURY 21 UK has also been working on a series of strategic alliances that will bolster the business and benefit franchisees, the first of which will be announced very shortly.

At the annual review CENTURY 21 UK also awarded its top-performing franchisees with their ‘Centurion Awards’. The award winners were: CENTURY 21 Sophia Dimova for the seventh year running – owner Elena Dimova became a Double Centurion; CENTURY 21 Gibraltar – owner Douglas Villalta; CENTURY 21 Liverpool South – owners Dan Pennington and Ian Ambrose; CENTURY 21 Halifax – owner Roger Claughton; CENTURY 21 Cambuslang – owner Dan McManus; and CENTURY 21 Maidstone – owner Louis Wiek.

During the annual review CENTURY 21 UK revealed a video address from Rick Davidson, CENTURY 21 Global CEO and President, congratulating the UK team on its growth during 2014.

Rob Clifford, Chief Executive of CENTURY 21 UK and Group Commercial Director of Shepherd Direct Group, said:

“2014 was truly a record year of growth and development for CENTURY 21 UK and firmly established the business as one of the major players in the estate and lettings agency sector. Our ambitious targets to develop our office network across the country were met and surpassed and we will continue to grow at an even greater rate during the year ahead. More and more entrepreneurs are seeing the benefits that being a CENTURY 21 UK franchisee can bring and with the level of support, training and guidance we provide, there is really no need to look elsewhere.

“We will continue to focus on new partnerships and relationships which benefit the entire business, such as our recently-announced deal with Sigma to create Britain’s largest private rental sector portfolio. CENTURY 21 UK offices are about to embark on tenant selection for the first homes in phase one which is a particularly exciting project for everyone involved. 2015 will be about building on the very firm foundations we laid down last year and ensuring our offices have everything they need to continue developing and growing into very successful businesses. We are looking forward to another exciting year and continuing to establish our proposition, and that of our offices, within the agency space.”

Those interested in opening a CENTURY 21 UK office in their area can visit www.century21uk.com/franchise which has been designed to offer a range of information and support taking interested parties through the franchise recruitment process.