May 2009

Where there’s a wheel — or two...

THORNLEY Groves of Manchester have introduced a fleet of bikes for employees to use when getting about the city centre for appointments. The branded bicycles have been brought in to help reduce the company’s carbon footprint as well as saving precious time and money in a challenging market.

Letting consultants Philip Thewlis of Thornley Groves’ Whitworth Street West office and Lorna Hayes of the Northern Quarter branch on their bikes.

Managing director Michael Groves said: “The idea behind the bikes is to encourage the fun, energetic and ‘can do’ culture we have in our company as well as saving a little time and money. In today’s market, all businesses are cutting back and I think this is a unique way of doing it while enhancing our service.

“In Manchester, the volume of property sales we’ve agreed is already 15 per cent higher than the same period last year, reflecting vendors’ more realistic expectations and affordable mortgage rates. In addition, our rentals business is up 18 per cent as city living continues to become more popular. But parking issues add considerably to the time it takes to conduct viewings. The ‘Property Cycles’, as we’ve called them, will improve our efficiency at the same time as reducing our impact on the environment”.

The Thornley Groves Property Cycles have joined an existing fleet of branded low emission VW Polos so employees can choose their method of transport depending on the weather.