Director at Christie + Co marks 500th pub transaction

19th May 2010, 11:54am

The sale of the Royal Oak in the village of Laxfield, Suffolk has marked the 500th successful pub transaction carried out by Bill Colquhoun, director at Christie + Co, the specialist property agent and advisor.

This is the second pub to open in the region for husband and wife team, Simon and Ollie Oughton.

Deals amongst the 500 include the sale of the Spinning Wheel in Westerham, Kent, for £1 million which was one of Bill's first completed transactions and the first one sold for a seven-figure sum. Another early deal was the sale of The Eagle near Faringdon, Oxfordshire, to ex-Liverpool and Republic of Ireland footballer, now Match of the Day pundit, Mark Lawrenson.

Colquhoun said: "I am very proud to have reached this milestone and look forward to pushing on towards 600 successful deals over the coming years. The pub industry has gone through a number of significant changes and faced many challenges over my years working in the sector, but through all this running a pub continues to be an attractive lifestyle choice and accessible entry point for many people looking to run their own business.

"Although the current market is one of the most challenging I have witnessed, well-located, quality businesses continue to generate strong interest, as the rise in recent sales levels in East Anglia alone indicate."

Neil Morgan, head of pubs at Christie + Co, added: "This is a tremendous achievement by one of the cornerstones of Christie + Co's pub agency team, and tribute to Bill's dedication, market knowledge, extensive list of contacts and eye for a deal."