We are celebrating a hugely successful first year in Shrewsbury – with plans for more growth in the coming 12 months.
We opened our new office in St Austin’s Friars last April with partner Ben Wootton and Emma Dalton manning the fort, but quickly brought in three new colleagues such was the success.
And we are now planning further growth in Shrewsbury as we build on our reputation for friendly, expert advice across the full range of financial services including mortgages, business and personal insurance protection, commercial finance, wealth management and wills and legacy.
Ben – who like all the team at the new office comes from Shrewsbury and its surrounding villages – said he had been delighted with the office’s success in the last 12 months.
In that time the team, which now includes commercial finance expert Mike Barton, mortgage and protection adviser Andrew Dunn and administration newcomer Piers Hindhaugh, has built up an impressive record of success.
“We’ve arranged more than 150 mortgages over the course of the year – essentially one every other working day – and concluded some 20 commercial finance deals,” said Ben. “Add to that the work we have done helping clients with home, business and personal insurance, wills, financial planning, wealth management and pensions and we have far surpassed the targets which we set for the new office when it opened.
“Such is the success that both Emma and Piers are now training to become mortgage advisers, meaning we’ll be looking to take on new administrators in the coming year and we are also expecting to have a wealth management adviser based here too.”
Ben says Q’s success – both at Shrewsbury and at Wellington where we have had an office for six years and seen our team grow from two to nearly 20 – is down to two key factors.
“The most important is our people and the way we do business. We are all relatively young, very friendly and want to do everything we can to put our clients at ease. Seeking financial advice can seem very intimidating, but we try to make it as straightforward and informal as possible. We are all people people and focus on building a unique relationship with every client. If you look at our reviews on Trustpilot – 99 per cent of which rate us excellent – you will see how many people praise us for this.
“Secondly, in partnership with our office in Wellington we can offer the full range of financial services all under one roof. We are a real one-stop shop for help and advice meaning clients can get everything sorted all in one go.”
Ben said the property market across Shrewsbury remained buoyant, pointing to another successful year.
“There have been a couple of interest rate raises recently but the rate still stands at a historically low level and house prices are still healthy so we would urge people not to panic. We are still seeing a strong demand for mortgage advice and expect to see this continue throughout the year.
“In fact, now is a really good time to review all your finances and see if you are on the best deals or whether it is possible to switch to something better.”
