AN estate agent – a familiar name in the north Cambridgeshire – will shortly complete its presence in Huntingdonshire. Sharman Quinney, founded in Peterborough in 1989, has offices in Ramsey, St Ives and Cambourne. It has bought the Gatehouse Estates off

AN estate agent - a familiar name in the north Cambridgeshire - will shortly complete its presence in Huntingdonshire.

Sharman Quinney, founded in Peterborough in 1989, has offices in Ramsey, St Ives and Cambourne.

It has bought the Gatehouse Estates offices in Huntingdon, Godmanchester, St Neots and Kimbolton, which are expected to sport the company's distinctive blue-and-green branding from some time in June.

"We can't re-brand them overnight. It will probably take much of June," said marketing director Nigel Davies. "It will mean we are a truly Huntingdonshire-wide agency."

The new owners, who take over later this month, will retain the existing staff as well as the four premises, bringing the number of Sharman Quinney offices, in Cambridgeshire, south Lincolnshire and east Northamptonshire, to 21.

It also owns the five Pattison Lane offices in Northamptonshire and Churchills estate agents in Raunds, which trade under separate branding.

"Although we are part of the same group as Connells, we trade independently and compete," Mr Davies said.

Mike Sharman, managing director of the Elton-based group, said he had been in talks with Gatehouse since last year. "These four new offices will undoubtedly benefit from the strong brand recognition in the south Cambridgeshire market created by our operations in Cambourne, St Ives and Ramsey," he said.

Russell Quinney, formerly manager at the company's Orton office in Peterborough, will become area director responsible for the new operations.