Cluttons, Hamptons team up in Hong Kong

British property agents Cluttons and Hamptons began operating under a single banner this week in Hong Kong.

The pair will operate as Cluttons-Hamptons in the territory, after Cluttons bought out its larger British rival for GBP3.8 million (HK$44.46 million) in March.

David Coreth, who had run the Hamptons office in Hong Kong for the past four years, has quit and will head a new office being set up in the territory by British developer Taylor Woodrow, which hopes to market its projects more aggressively.

Gill Barclay will manage the new combined Cluttons-Hamptons office in Hong Kong.

She said the decision to retain the Hamptons name was because it was well established in Hong Kong, being particularly well known for marketing London and Surrey real estate.

The new combined agency employs 450 people in 47 branches across Britain and three offices overseas in Hong Kong, Singapore and Jersey.

Taylor Woodrow has become the first British developer to open an office in Hong Kong to promote its projects here. Mr Coreth opened the office at the start of this month.

Taylor Woodrow, which has representative offices in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, sells one fifth of its properties to Hong Kong buyers.

Most were Chinese rather than expatriates and were individuals rather than corporations, Mr Coreth said.