Property auction house Pugh has appointed chartered surveyor Eamonn Stones as an associate director, with responsibility for its regional operations across Yorkshire and the North East.
Pugh, which switched its monthly auction-room sales in Manchester and Leeds to its existing online platform after the onset of social distancing regulations in March, is one of the UK’s leading property auctioneers, selling £90m of property and land in 2019.
Mr Stones will be based in the firm’s Leeds and Sheffield office and will manage the hundreds of properties and plots of land that are auctioned at its regular Yorkshire and North East auctions. He joins Pugh from SMC Chartered Surveyors in Sheffield, where he was a general practice surveyor, and was previously part of the commercial agency team at BNP Paribas Real Estate in Sheffield.
Since he began working in the property sector in 2006 Mr Stones has disposed of residential, retail, office, industrial, storage and development land on both a leasehold and freehold basis, acting for clients including private individuals, National Grid, Uber, Network Rail and the NHS as well as universities and local authorities.
Pugh managing director Paul Thompson said: “Demand for our services in Yorkshire and the North East has been growing steadily with some great results both in the auction room and online. We’re really pleased to welcome Eamonn on board, with his years of experience and great network of local and national contacts, to head up our work in the region.”
Mr Stones said: “Auctions have been the most reliable way to buy and sell properties during lockdown and, with Pugh fast becoming the go-to auctioneer in Yorkshire and the North East this is a really exciting time to be joining the business. I’ll be kicking off my new role by taking instructions for our July auction, which is already looking very busy indeed.”
Pugh recently announced revenues of £6.5m across 70 lots since the switch to online auctions in April. The properties and land sold realised prices 24% higher than guide prices, across the sale.
The firm’s next online auction, featuring properties and land across the UK, will take place on 14 July.
Established 26 years ago, Pugh was acquired by property consultant Eddisons in 2016.
