Property services group Shepherd Direct has rebranded with the acronym ‘SDL’ to bring its subsidiaries closer together operationally.
Property services group Shepherd Direct has rebranded with the acronym ‘SDL’ to bring its subsidiaries closer together operationally.
The SDL Group encompasses national mortgage brokerage Stonebridge Group, estate agency business CENTURY 21 United Kingdom, insurance broker Pure Protect, surveying businesses Direct Valuations and Shepherd Surveyors, outsourced lettings provider Central Lettings Solutions and whole of market mortgage broker MoneyQuest. And in January the group acquired property and auction business CP Bigwood.
Paul Gratton, chief executive of SDL, said: “Our intention is to help our partners across the property industry to understand that we are able offer them our innovative and effective support across multiple arms of their businesses, as well as facilitating further growth.”
The group is using a border collie called ‘Shep’ (pictured below) for promotional activity.
Rob Clifford, SDL group commercial director, added: “Shep is loyal, intelligent, innovative, and drives the herd. Shep is the perfect partner, and we hope he demonstrates the way in which we look beyond the traditional client relationship to develop true partnerships across the property industry.”
He added: “With much of the industry, and most of our internal stakeholders, already referring to the group as 'SDL', the opportunity was there for us to do just that, without discarding the heritage of more than 25 years’ expertise in property services."
CENTURY 21 United Kingdom, Pure Protect and CP Bigwood will retain their names and visual identities but will adopt the strapline ‘part of the SDL group’. MoneyQuest will also retain its name.
Direct Valuations has become SDL Risk Management, Shepherd Surveyors is now known as SDL Surveying in England and Wales while Central Lettings Solutions has become SDL Lettings.
SDL generates £60m turnover per annum and has 400 staff across offices in Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Loughborough, Southampton, Stratford-upon-Avon and the group headquarters in Nottingham.
For the rebrand SDL worked with WDA, which has worked with RBS, Yamaha and Black Horse Finance.
