Andrews & Robertson has merged with Wimbledon estate agent and chartered surveyor Quinton Scott after 150 years as a stand-alone auction house.
The merger, for an undisclosed sum, increases the number of staff from 14 to 35.
Quinton Scott will continue to work from its offices and Andrews & Robertson will trade from Chelsea, SW3, and Camberwell, SE5.
Andrews & Robertson was ranked fifth in Estate Gazette’s residential league table. It has a 4% market share and raised revenue of more than £50m in the first half of 2012.
Owner Robin Cripp said: “We wanted to raise our game and, as agents, chartered surveyors and auctioneers, we can compete more fully in the wider market.”
He added: “Volumes of commercial stock nationally have virtually halved since 2007, while the swing to residential investment in the past year has been notable.
“We will now cover the whole spectrum of transacting residential or commercial property via private treaty or auction, whichever method of sale is most appropriate.”
A&R opened a Chelsea office in 2008 following its acquisition by Cripp, former chairman of Barnard Marcus auctions. Cripp had been looking to expand its business offering and range of services for more than a year.
The move is the latest in a line of expansions within the auction sector.
Last week, Eddisons extended its auction offering from Leeds and Manchester to London after hiring part of the former Jones Lang LaSalle auction team, while last month, South Coast firm Clive Emson held its first sale in Bath and Bristol.
