There was an article which appeared in the Sunday Star Times dated 13 March 2011 written by Ruth Liew headed “Christchurch Earthquake: Ray White Cuts Christchurch Offices by 40%”.
Brian White has been quoted in the article and each of the quotes has been taken out of context in regards to the position that Ray White holds in Christchurch and Canterbury. The Ray White Group across New Zealand sells 1 in every 8 properties and in the Christchurch market, sells 1 in every 4 properties. We currently engage 260 independent contractors across our agency business in Canterbury.
Prior to the 22 February earthquake, the Ray White Group had 19 retail premises that it offered services from. The devastating effect of the earthquake saw several of our offices either destroyed completely or not accessible. They included the offices of Sumner, Redcliffs, New Brighton, St Albans and Merivale. It was thought that our Lyttelton office was also damaged beyond repair but we now confirm that this office is to be re-opened. Our sales staff remains confident in regards to assisting home owners across the Christchurch region. It is unlikely in the foreseeable future that our sales team will reduce as there are a number of transactions which are already occurring throughout the market.
Ray White has repositioned with 14 offices
In addition to this, the Ray White Group offices hold the largest property management portfolio across Christchurch with 2,400 properties. Although some of those properties were either destroyed or damaged, in the main the property portfolio remained on a continuing basis.
There has been a lot of movement in Christchurch as the community is unsure of the future. We remain staunchly behind our position in Christchurch and endorse the steps that our owners are taking to ensure that they reposition themselves to begin to re-grow their businesses.
There are many unknowns in the Christchurch property market; Ray White is a major player throughout Canterbury and will continue to stand behind our local business owners, salespeople, property managers and administration staff. The Group has provided for our members through its own offer of assistance and also recognises the many partners who have given our members offers of assistance for the services they provide.
The Ray White Group across New Zealand has 136 offices, with 20 new offices opened in the last 12 months. The company has a current sales team of 1,315 and holds a controlled listing base of 14,100 properties.
The Ray White Offices trading in Canterbury are :
Burnside, Cashmere, Commercial, Halswell, Hornby, Kaiapoi, Lincoln, Lyttelton, Metro, Northwood, Opawa, Rolleston, Shirley, Tower Junction.
For further information regarding Ray White’s current position in Christchurch please contact the New Zealand Chief Executive, Carey Smith, on 021 999 035 or email csmith@raywhite.com