Bridges over troubled property waters...

TWO men who set up an estate agency two years ago — just as the housing market was about to enter a significant downturn — are about to expand.

Mark Taylor and Mark Rose, who got together to establish Bridges in High Street, Uppermill, will open a second branch in Royton on Valentine’s weekend and the partners don’t intend to stop there.

They have acquired premises in Rochdale Road which they are currently converting while recruiting staff for the new, six-days-a-week venture.

Mr Taylor, from Uppermill, and Mr Rose, from Greenfield, see the move as a natural extension to the business, which was set up in a former gift shop in the village centre in 2007.

They currently have five full and part-time staff and plan to double these numbers to take advantage of an upturn in the economy which they see reflected in the number of properties being made available, an increasing number of inquiries for homes and an easing by banks and building societies on the mortgage front.

The pair had been friends for many years, and had worked together on building projects, before setting up Bridges.

Each had a background in sales, marketing and customer service and, says Mr Taylor, realised that they had something to offer the estate agency market.

He added: “We had worked with the estate agent industry and were not too impressed with the level of service and customer care.

“We talked about this project for a while and decided to invest in our own business.”

Mr Rose recalls opening the first Monday without a single property in the window, adding: “The first customer through the door asked what we had to offer in Saddleworth and we had to be honest and say we didn’t have any! By the end of the first week we had two properties and we have never looked back.”

In the past two-and-half years they have expanded from their traditional base in the Saddleworth valley to top Mossley, Springhead and Lees and on the other side of the borough into Moorside and Heyside. “We see the move to Royton as a natural extension, linking our property and business bases,” said Mr Rose.

They have invested more than £100,000 in the expansion venture — surely a sign than the market is picking up and Oldham is once again on the upturn.