Property firms agree merger as market picks up

Dale Eddison has merged with Heslop and Co. to form Dale Eddison Commercial, which will offer a range of commercial property services including both transactional and professional.

Richard Heslop, owner of Heslop and Co, runs Dale Eddison Commercial, which covers Yorkshire and the North East, and operates out of Dale Eddison’s Guiseley office.

Mr Heslop said: “I am very pleased to be involved in this exciting new company.

“Dale Eddison has enjoyed immense success in the residential market and it is my aim to make Dale Eddison Commercial a market leader on the commercial side.”

He added: “This new company reflects a continued improvement and growth in the commercial property market and we are confident that Dale Eddison Commercial will be a big success.”

Director Bill Dale, who founded Dale Eddison in 1991, said the merger was a statement of confidence and a clear sign that the property market as a whole was improving and showing clear signs of growth.

“It’s an exciting time for Dale Eddison and the property market in general,” he said.

“We have seen big improvements in the residential market over the last few months and it’s a great time for us to move into the commercial property market.”

Dale Eddison Commercial has already secured a number of big clients, including Weidmann Whiteley, Abraham Moon and Pendle Russells, for whom the firm is acting on the 13-acre Baildon Business Park.

The business park will provide more than 150,000 sq ft of commercial and leisure space, with 50,000 of that already in solicitors’ hands.

Dale Eddison was founded by William Eddison and Bill Dale in 1991, specialising in residential property in the Wharfedale and Aireborough districts.

The partnership merged with Jonathan Barraclough in Guiseley in 1994 when a third office, run by Gary Shankland, was added to the firm.

Following incorporation in 2007, Dale Eddison continued to expand in 2012 with a new office in Silsden and a dedicated letting office in Ilkley.

Mr Dale and Mr Eddison are also investors in the new Flying Duck pub, which was launched in Ilkley last weekend by Stewart Ross, co-founder of Ilkley Brewery. The pub dates back to the early 1600s.

Other investors include Peter Fisher, the Gibraltar-based tycoon behind bookmaker Stan James, as well as past chairmen of the Ilkley Round Table and founder members of the Ilkley Beer Festival.