Pictured above: (l-r) Rob Bould and Ian Stringer pictured with a portrait of Edwin Fearn Grimley (1880), son of the founding father of the firm, Horatio N Grimley

Leading UK property consultant GVA Grimley, founded by Horatio N Grimley in Birmingham nearly 200 years ago, will become GVA in January 2011. 

The new name will be part of a major rebrand launch to its entire UK business, a move that will mark a new chapter in the long history of this respected property company, particularly in the Midlands.

Rob Bould, Chief Executive of GVA Grimley and former Head of Investment at the Birmingham office in the 1980s, commented: "As the markets start to recover, we as a company face an exciting opportunity to build our position in the UK market. We're confident, through our strong trading performance over the past few years coupled with our clear business strategy going forward, that we can become a top five UK property consultant. Our rebrand and name-change is part of that process as we look to deliver a consistency that is seamless throughout the business.

"…a clear and consistent brand…"

"This is a fantastic prospect for the company. Our new brand will position us in the eyes of our people, our clients and potential clients, building upon the loyalty we maintain and a clear understanding of the service they can expect from us.

"To be a top five business not only means having a clear and consistent brand, but it means living it too. Our new name is one of a number of initiatives we have set in place to deliver a refreshed and modern identity that presents clients with a very clear understanding of who we are and what we do."

"…future investors need a clear proposition..."

GVA Grimley's roots go back some 190 years to H.N Grimley & Son in Birmingham where it was founded. Since then, the company is unrecognisable from its original form. It wasn't until 1998 however that GVA Grimley adopted its existing name and since then has expanded by acquisition under a variety of brands each with the GVA pre-fix.  Today the company commands a £129.5 million turnover as the country's seventh largest property consultant.

Rob Bould continued: "We need to have a strong and clear proposition for future investors in our business. So our new streamlined brand will convey more clearly how we deliver on client expectations, our business culture, the values we stand for, and how proud we are of our business and of our reputation. Most importantly though, it will create renewed focus on the expectations of our clients in the service we give."

Ian Stringer, Regional Senior Director and Head of GVA Grimley's Birmingham office, commented: "Grimley has a strong identity that symbolises nearly two centuries of history and heritage. As the largest firm in our sector in the Midlands, we and a number of our long standing clients have a wonderful affinity with the name which has achieved great things over the years, so it was an incredibly hard decision to make. However, through the extremely comprehensive brand advice we sought, it became increasingly clear that if we were to achieve our ambitions as an evolving, modern company, GVA alone would help project a more consistent, streamlined identity."