Engel & Völkers set to dominate Pretoria New East

Craig Hutchison and James Verwey

By Camilia du Plooy

Engel & Völkers Southern Africa has kicked their year off on a very positive note with the signing of their first licence for 2016. Covering the 3 main areas known as Pretoria New East, you will soon see the EV brand dominating this territory.

James Verwey signed the Faerie Glen Licence on 18 January 2016 – giving him access to the entire area known as the Pretoria New East.

James comes with a wealth of experience and background in various fields. He started his life after school by studying law at the University of Stellenbosch after which he entered the motor industry. After 10 years in senior management positions at Toyota SA, he moved on by joining Toyota in the UAE as Marketing Director for Toyota and Lexus for a further 10 years. From there he joined Premier Motors in Abu Dhabi, one of the leading distributors in the world with iconic Brands like Ferrari, Maserati, Jaguar, Land Rover, Ford and Lincoln as MD. It is also at this stage where he first came into contact with the E&V brand, as well as meeting Debra Campbell, Licence Partner of Engel & Völkers Broadacres & Bryanston.

Returning to South Africa only 2 years ago, James decided he was not ready for an early retirement and started investigating the possibility of taking on real estate. As fate would have it, he crossed paths again with Debra who mentioned to him the opportunities within the Engel & Völkers brand after which he immediately made contact with Craig Hutchison, CEO of Engel & Völkers Southern Africa.

It was definitely a match made, as Etienne Pretorius, previous licence partner of Engel & Völkers New East wanted to give his other ventures more attention and was looking for a buyer for both his Silver Lakes and Moreletta Licences. As James had just bought a house in Pretoria East, this was the perfect fit - on his doorstep.

Being quite the established and well experienced business man, James has been interested in the brand and has been watching it grow over the past 2 years, and after having recently gone through the property buying process, immediately fell in love with the E&V model. “I found Engel & Völkers very structured and specialised, and knew that this would be my new path” said James.

The transaction between Etienne and James was concluded earlier in January, and not letting grass grow, he immediately extended his licence territory to also include the Faerie Glen area.

James said that his secret to success is team work. “I believe in leading and guiding people but still leaving enough room for them to grow, develop, live out their dreams and shape their own careers. Lyle Landsman, current team leader at the Silver Lakes shop will continue to manage and run all 3 areas with James acting in a supporting role to assist Lyle grow the brand from strength to strength.

They are already recruiting agents for the Faerie Glen area, and will be looking at a prime location between Moreletta Park and Faerie Glen to open their next shop.

“We wish James, Lyle and their team the best and know that they have a winning recipe for continued success, which is something that the Silver Lakes shop is not unfamiliar with” concluded Craig.