Estate agency Hunters Group has joined with its Yorkshire namesake to create a 112-strong branch company.

Hunters Group has seven branches in Sutton Coldfield, Solihull, Staffordshire and Warwickshire while York-headquartered Hunters Property Group has 105 outlets, mainly in London and across the north of England.

Despite their names, the two companies are unrelated and are now planning to have more than 140 offices by the end of 2014 and 500 within the next five years.

Both businesses were established in the early 1990s.

Hunters Property Group said it was also expanding its independently owned franchises.

Kevin Hollinrake, managing director and co-founder of Hunters Property Group, and John Ozwell, founder and chairman of Hunters Group, said in a joint statement: "We are delighted to be able to unify the Hunters name under a single business.

"We have been friends and admirers of each other's businesses for many years and are very excited about the potential that Hunters has to become a huge brand in estate agency across the UK."

Mr Ozwell added: "Both Hunters brands have been expanding and getting stronger over the years and it was becoming clear that our marketing areas were increasingly getting closer.

"Kevin and I share the same company ethos and mission which is to provide a first-class, customer-focused service and a powerful marketing presence within our areas of operation.

"It seems quite natural, therefore, for us to combine brands and work together to create the best independent estate agency network across the UK."

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