Property-management enterprise Belvoir recently presented their very first franchisee with a Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his 27 successful years as a business partner. Andy Campbell, who owns territories in Moray and Inverness, became a Belvoir franchisee in 1996, since when his offices in Scotland have gone from strength-to-strength.
Reflecting on his career, Andy said: “When I retired from the RAF, I was looking for a new opportunity and noticed an advert for Belvoir in one of the military resettlement magazines. I’d rented many properties in the past and was never impressed with the service I’d received from agents. So I thought it was something that I could improve upon.
“Mike Goddard, who started Belvoir, was also an ex-military man. He was running the business from his own home in Lincolnshire and I had to travel to his house for my training.
“I built Belvoir Moray up from nothing. I initially worked from a spare room in my own home, with only a chair, desk, computer and filing cabinet. The business grew, so I found an office in a nearby town and then bought out a small company in Elgin. I took on a staff member, and the business really took off. I purchased our existing premises in 2006 and today we’re one of the biggest agents in Moray.”
Speaking about Andy Campbell’s award, the Belvoir chief executive Dorian Gonsalves added: “This is a superb achievement, and testimony to his commitment and business skills. So much has changed within Belvoir, as well as the wider industry, since Andy joined us in 1996. But one thing that never changes is his passion and enthusiasm, or his ability to attract and retain new clients.
“Andy is a much-valued member of the Belvoir family and is a highly deserving recipient of this Lifetime Achievement Award. We are delighted that Andy has recently been joined in business by his son Steven and daughter Emma.
“One of the great things about being a Belvoir franchisee is having the opportunity to create lucrative assets that can either be sold-on – when business goals are achieved – or passed on to family members for them to grow it further. This is exactly what Andy is doing and we wish him and his family every success for the future.”
Regarding the growth of his business, Andy explained: “We are now a team of nine and many of our staff members have been with me for years. This includes office manager Lynn Roger, who has worked here for two decades.
“Without such a great team it would not be possible to do this job. I was seriously considering retirement but then we were offered two separate opportunities to manage large portfolios. So I stayed on and expanded the business.
“My son Steven came on board and is now running the Inverness office, which we bought in February 2022. My daughter Emma works at the Elgin office. Being part of the Belvoir franchise has given me the support of a national organisation, along with the freedom of being self-employed. I’m delighted to have won the Belvoir Lifetime Achievement Award and I’m looking forward to the future.”
About: Belvoir was founded in February 1995, and has its headquarters in Grantham, Lincolnshire. The company operates a nationwide property franchise group, with 467 offices across six brands. These include Belvoir, Northwood, Newton Fallowell and Lovelle. They also own Brook Financial Services. Belvoir now manage over 70,000 properties across the UK and, in February 2012, were successfully listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.
