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29 December 2015 – Cinco Días
The real estate company Don Piso plans to open around 34 new offices in Spain in 2016, of which 22 will be franchises, according to a statement made by the company yesterday.
Don Piso’s agency network will open four new offices, all operating under franchise agreements, before the end of the year, taking its total number of offices to 60, which represents growth of 27% with respect to 2014 (…).
Two of the four new offices will be opened in Madrid, with new offices also opening in the cities of Menorca and Salamanca, according to a statement issued by the real estate company, which is headquartered in Barcelona.
The chain currently has 18 owned offices and the forecast for 2016 involves expanding that number to 30. Moreover, in terms of its franchises, the company expects to increase the number from 38 to 60 by the end of next year.
Growth plans
These plans for growth, together with the fact that the Don Piso network has not closed down any owned or franchise offices in the last five years, according to the company, means that its managers are certain that the franchise arrangement is currently the preferred business model in the sector.
“As a result of the strong performance shown by the consolidated data for the real estate market, we think that now is a good time to invest in the sector through real estate franchises, as a highly profitable model in the short and medium term”, says Emiliano Bermúdez, Assistant Director General of Don Piso and head of brand growth.
Created in 1984, the company currently has a significant network of offices in the country’s main cities and a turnover that has enabled it to act as the intermediary on property sales worth more than €500 million in the last year. The company provides sales, rental and renovation services and employs 296 people.
Survivor of the property crisis
Don Piso is one of the survivors of the property crisis. It was created in Barcelona in 1984, as a network of intermediary agencies for the sale of properties. During the boom years, specifically in 2001, its owners sold the company to Ferrovial. Five years later, the company changed hands once again, when it was acquired by Habitat Promociones.
In the midst of the real estate crisis, in 2010, the former founders of the company, led by Luis Pérez Fernández, former Director General of Don Piso, submitted the highest offer in an auction process for the company, organised by the commercial court of Barcelona. The chain, which closed 2008 with losses of €42 million, reduced its network to 60 agencies after implementing a series of cutbacks.
Original story: Cinco Días
Transltion: Carmel Drake