Oakfield Estate Agents, which has offices based across East Sussex, is marking a quarter-century in business with the launch of a major rebrand as it celebrates its success while looking to the future.
Neil Newstead, its founder and CEO, launched Oakfield Estate Agents in 1996 with business partner Stephen Ruxton-Cocker, from a small office in Hastings. Today, there is a head office in St Leonards, but branches in Eastbourne and Bexhill-on-Sea have also been opened.
The agency sees itself as an integral part of its local high streets and communities, with its town-centre offices in prime locations across Hastings, Bexhill and Eastbourne. Additionally, the St Leonards HQ serves as a centralised hub for Oakfield’s property and block management and accounts departments.
And while Oakfield originally focused on the lettings side of the business, it has expanded over the years and now encompasses sales and block management, while retaining its original presence in residential lettings. (Indeed, they’re the biggest residential lettings agency in the area.)
“We’re delighted with and immensely proud of the way we’ve grown in recent years across all three areas,” explains Neil. “But we’re determined not to stand still. We’re committed to continuing this growth and modernising. We certainly don’t want to let the grass grow under our feet. So we’ll keep on investing in the company. We’ve come this far by placing the customer at the heart of every transaction, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”
To that end, the rebrand includes a new identity, with fresh logo, website and signage boards.
A cornerstone of the Oakfield brand philosophy is taking pride in its part of the world and its strong commitment to being a good neighbour. This is outlined in the Oakfield Community Pledge, launched with the new branding on June 1, which promises to share income from all property transactions to nearby good causes which sellers themselves have chosen.
For every house sold, the agency donates £50 to a local charity of the customer’s choice, chosen from a pre-selected list of six local charities. Oakfield also sponsors a number of East Sussex football teams, school fetes and similar events. Additionally, individual staff members have thrown themselves into fundraising (literally) with bungee jumps and marathon running. “We have handpicked six organisations who we feel really support our community,” adds Neil. “The team will remain involved in helping and volunteering in the community in other ways. We’ve come a long way but there’s still so much we want to do. It feels wonderful to celebrate 25 years in business, but we’re very much looking forward to the next twenty five.”
Oakfield Estate Agents has been a leading force in the property sector in East Sussex since 1996.
