Back in the day, David Berriman Estate Agents and Eaton Estates were very firmly established as leaders in their field. By 2005 David Berriman had an office in Tettenhall and Caroline Eaton had offices in Wombourne and Bridgnorth.
This is the same year that Nick Berriman took over David’s firm, with David very much an integral part of the company. So how did two become one? Nick Berriman recalls the first time that the merger of two such highly regarded brands was mooted.
“Caroline and I had a property that we were acting on jointly in Albrighton. On our first meeting at the property we had a chat about our future plans. It turned out that Caroline was looking into the viability of opening an office in Tettenhall and I was looking at starting up in Bridgnorth. It did not take a genius to work out that we could either spend the rest of our working lives in competition or in unity!”
And so it began! After much preparation the new estate agency was launched in January 2006. The first newspaper advertisement appeared in the hallowed pages of the Express and Star property supplement on the 4th of January with an impressive array of new instructions and Berriman Eaton Estate Agents hit the ground running.
Since that time the company has gone from strength to strength. Both of the offices in Tettenhall and Bridgnorth have expanded from their old single shop units into double fronted premises with a commanding street presence, the Wombourne office has recently moved into a much more user friendly workplace and a new branch has been opened in Worcestershire, trading out of Church Hill and Blakedown Golf Club.
Perhaps most impressively, the Lettings Department has blossomed from a very small part of the firm into a standalone operation that is now one of the biggest in the region. Andy Roberts, one of the Directors at Berriman Eaton and the Head of Lettings recalls joining the company in 2006 at the ripe old age of 22!
“Having worked in lettings in Wolverhampton for a few years I saw the opportunity to work at Berriman Eaton as an exciting new step in my career. I never imagined that I would end up heading Lettings and becoming a Director of the company!”
He continues “The expanding team has worked tirelessly over the years to create an unrivalled lettings business operating across the West Midlands, South Staffordshire and Shropshire with a book of almost 500 properties under management, a wide bank of landlords from both commercial and private sectors and an incredibly diverse source of tenants from professionals to companies to sports people. It has been an amazing journey.”
And where does 2024 find the company that was created almost twenty years ago? Nick notes that “2024 has been a busy year to date. Having agreed sales on around £3 billion worth of property and land since we started, our market seems to continue to flourish. Whilst there has been a significant shift in the market since the ‘post-pandemic boom’ there is still plenty of activity. With a sensible approach to any sales campaign, properties are selling well.”
And Caroline’s thoughts on Berriman Eaton Estate Agents? “We pride ourselves on our ethics and professionality. We value our approachability, and this is in no small part down to the ‘family’ nature of the business. In fact, my brother and sister, Richard and Ellie, have worked with us from the start and more recently my nephew, Ben, has been working in the Tettenhall office and David is an omnipresent force! Nick’s wife, Katie, is an invaluable part of the team and his daughter, Maisie, has recently been handling some viewings for the Wombourne office.
“We have even seen a company marriage! Andy first met his wife, Sarah, at Berriman Eaton, Sarah having worked here since 2005. Andy’s mother, Sue, and step father, Doug are also now a part of the viewings team!” With Berriman Eaton looking well placed to carry on their successful business well into the future, Nick has one more comment to add.
“I would like to thank Gisella and Geoff, the owners of this magazine, for all of their help and backing since Berriman Eaton started. They have played a big part in our growth and their help in establishing us as market leaders cannot be underestimated, Thank you both!”.
THE REAL BEGINNING
David Berriman is a name that has long since been recognised as the leading light in estate agency in this part of the world. His influence has reached far and wide and there are countless sellers and buyers that have benefitted from his experience and wise words of wisdom.
So, how did David’s career begin? Born in North Yorkshire, David’s parents moved to Wolverhampton in 1947 when his father was in charge of the opening of the first branch of the Halifax Building Society outside of Yorkshire.
A pupil at Wolverhampton Grammar School, David left before A Levels and joined the most highly respected firm of estate agents in the region, Walker Barnett and Hill. After a stint of National Service in the RAF, when he trained to be a pilot, David rejoined WB&H and eventually rose to the level of senior partner and led the partnership sale to General Accident Property Services in 1983.
After spending three years as GA’s regional marketing director, David felt the time was right to branch out on his own. And so began David Berriman as an estate agency business in its own right!
David’s list of achievements over the years is particularly impressive, and his legacy is one of which he should be justifiably proud. In a professional capacity he recently achieved the dubious accreditation of being the oldest officially registered surveyor for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
He was also previously on the National Council of the Independent Surveyors Valuers Association and the Chairman of their National Residential Property Committee. He officially retired from his working life on 11th January 2023, exactly 70 years to the day after his career began.
He has, in the past, served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Birchfield Preparatory School, a Governor of Wolverhampton Grammar School, a Chairman of the Board of Directors at Compton Hospice (now Compton Care), the Chairman and President of Wolverhampton Round Table No. 17 and a Round Table Area President and National Councillor and also the Chairman of a fund raising committee that raised over £100,000 for a Mobile Heart Care Unit for New Cross Hospital.
Amongst all of this his work for Charities over the years has been tireless.
He is a lifelong follower of Wolverhampton Wanderers, having first seen them play in 1949 in a Cup Final against Leicester, which they won 3-1. Cricket has been a huge passion of his over the years and he is currently a member of the MCC. But how does all of this translate to Berriman Eaton?
Quite simply, without him, Berriman Eaton would not exist. Caroline was a trainee estate agent under David’s tutelage at Walker Barnett and Hill, and it was this experience that allowed her to eventually progress and start up her own company.
It was David that brought Nick in to the fold at David Berriman Estate Agents, after he had been working in property in Knightsbridge, London for several years, and this led to Nick eventually taking control of the business.
And from this the possibility of Berriman Eaton was created and here we are today!
