Christian Lock-Necrews, formerly of Knight Frank, has taken over the Winkworth, Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Belgravia office.
The franchise brand is hoping the move will help strengthen its prime London at the flagship branch on Brompton Road SW3 where Winkworth has had its office for the past 50 years.
Lock-Necrews has joined Winkworth after working at Knight Frank for 18 years, in Marylebone and in Knightsbridge.
The Winkworth office has undergone an extensive refurbishment following Lock-Necrews’ acquisition of the franchise. Its main focus will be sales and lettings across Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Belgravia, Mayfair and Marylebone.
The Winkworth Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Belgravia office is part of Winkworth’s prime cluster of offices in Kensington, South Kensington, Paddington & Bayswater, Notting Hill, and Pimlico & Westminster.
Lock-Necrews said: “Knightsbridge is one of the world’s best known addresses, synonymous with quality and luxury. This is an extremely exciting step to be taking to invest in my own business as part of the Winkworth brand, while retaining the agility of private ownership. The heritage and 190-year history of the brand is reassuring and part of the motivation for me to buy into the business, as well as the ability to utilise a wonderful network of 100 offices and its international presence.”
He added: “I look forward to building on Winkworth’s longstanding reputation in the area at a time when there is a huge opportunity for a new generation of high net worth buyers, both UK and international, looking to establish a base in prime London and all it has to offer. These buyers are attracted by the capital’s status as a global financial centre with world-class schools and universities, Michelin-starred restaurants, a retail offering of international and UK heritage brands, an unrivalled cultural and arts scene, plus the attractive green spaces of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, and the historic garden squares across Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Belgravia.”
Dominic Agace, Winkworth’s chief executive, said: “Our Knightsbridge office has played an important role in our prime London presence for over 50 years. We expanded into Knightsbridge from the original Winkworth office in Curzon Street, with our chairman Simon Agace masterminding the expansion of the Winkworth franchise network from Knightsbridge.
“We have a superb team running our prime London offices. Christian is exactly the kind of talented and entrepreneurial professional who reflects my strategy to bring in the best talent to match the platform we are investing in to be in the top three in terms of market share in all areas we operate across London. We are looking to attract other leading experts to join us and build a successful business, with the support of our head office team, our nationwide network of over 100 offices in the UK, and the global reach of our Asia Pacific team.”
