Business Hour
Rachael Stones of Stones Young explains how and why the business has grown steadily since it was founded two decades ago
Having always had an interest in property, Rachael and Nigel Stones founded their estate agency back in 2004 under a previous franchise agreement.
Working with their friend Phil Young since that time, and starting initially with only a handful of properties, fast forward 20 years and today Stones Young now have around 200 properties on their books for sale and manage over 300 rental properties.
Having all come from professional backgrounds, Rachael in accountancy, Nigel as an Independent Financial Adviser and Phil as an Independent Mortgage Adviser, over the years they have sought to bring a professional and service-driven approach to an often-beleaguered and maligned industry.
“As a business, customer service has been the most important thing to us,” says Rachael. “Looking back, it is easy to identify when things really started taking off.”
Just under 10 years ago Jo-Anne Blow, who had an extensive customer service background, joined the company as director with her main role being to manage the Blackburn office.
“We knew Jo-Anne as a friend and we always said she would be an amazing asset to any business and particularly an estate agency business, so when an opportunity arose to bring her on board, it was a very easy decision.”
Just two years later, the Old Post Office at Brownhill roundabout became available and this was the catalyst for a move away from the franchise. Subsequently, Stones Young was born.
“Following our move the Stones Young re-brand radically transformed the business. The distinctive, eye-catching bright yellow and fresh-looking signs were only the start. We invested in the latest technology and selectively recruited additional team members to ensure that customer service was going to be our company’s main attribute.”
Social media became an important part of Stones Young’ marketing offering, something that wasn’t used by other agents at that time.
“Located at Brownhill roundabout, we started to attract property listings in Wilpshire, Salesbury and Langho and also stretching into Billington and Whalley when news spread of our outstanding customer service,” adds Rachael.
As a result of attracting more properties in the Ribble Valley the next logical step was to open an office in Clitheroe. Waiting for the right location was paramount and eventually a prime spot, opposite Sainsburys on Moor Lane, was secured.
“We understand that each of our clients are usually selling their most valuable asset so they need to have trust and confidence in the people who are acting on their behalf to achieve the best possible price for their property.”
Stones Young’s mantra of providing exceptional customer continues to serve the company well. In 2017 Stones Young were listing an average of 13 properties a month and last year that had risen to an average of 35 per month.
Progressing the business further, two years ago Stones Young set up their Financial Services division dealing with mortgages, insurance, pensions, savings and investments as well as advising on inheritance tax, wills and Power of Attorney.
The majority of the team across the two offices either already have professional qualifications or are working towards them: “We are anticipating that the government will eventually introduce estate agency regulations, so we want to be ahead,” says Rachael, who concentrates on the finance and marketing side of the business.
Since their inception, Stones Young have forged a reputation for supporting good causes within the communities they serve. They are enthusiastic sponsors of local sports clubs and community associations including cricket, golf, bowling, rugby, the Ribble Valley Music Festival to name only a few and have raised thousands of pounds for local charities including the East Lancs Hospice where they are regular supporters and sponsors. They are also headline sponsors for the 2024 Ribble Valley Business Awards which are to be held this month.
Their professionalism as an estate and lettings agency has also been acknowledged in terms of numerous and repeated industry awards winning no less than 10 British Property Awards both locally and regionally. At the end of last year, they won gold at the Estate Agency Masters award ceremony in London. This award placed their Clitheroe and Blackburn offices in the UK’s top three per cent of estate agents out of over 15,000 countrywide, based on results, marketing and customer service.
So, what’s next for Stones Young? Simple was the reply: “Continuing to help people either selling or renting their property and continuing to deliver outstanding customer service.”
Not surprisingly, given all the above, I don’t think we would expect anything different.
