UK Sotheby’s International Realty – probably rings some bells, correct? It’s one of the most recognised, and trusted, names in luxury. Sotheby’s, first established as a seller of valuable books in 1744, and with a home on Mayfair’s New Bond Street since 1917, has become synonymous with the sale of some of the world’s most valuable possessions – including, in 2014, Edvard Munch’s The Scream, which sold for a then-record $119,922,500.

Today, Sotheby’s property arm comprises 1,100 offices and more than 26,100 sales associates in 84 countries and territories. Annually, Sotheby’s International Realty generates in the region of £130 billion in global sales. Yet, until recently, the company’s UK division struggled to compete meaningfully against some of the other names in the luxury property space. Things began to change in January 2023, when George Azar, already the holder of Sotheby’s real estate franchises in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, acquired UK Sotheby’s International Realty. Azar got to work in earnest.

Assembling a crack team of highly skilled, highly experienced sales and letting agents, by the end of 2024 Azar had tripled the size of UK Sotheby’s International Realty to more than 55 associates. Speaking 10 languages and having worked in the industry for an average of 16 years, the team’s mission was simple: become the leading luxury property consultancy for Prime Central London. It didn’t take long. In 2024, it secured the number one market share in both the £10m+ and £15m+ property segments.

The UK arm currently has four offices in the capital, all of which opened in Prime Central in the space of just one year, with a further two due to open soon. In 2024, the agency sold and agreed upon transactions worth in excess of £1.2 billion. Quite the achievement for such a new team.

This year, UK Sotheby’s International Realty will be expanding to South West London and the Cotswolds. With an existing presence in Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey, Sotheby’s has earmarked Richmond, Barnes, Fulham, Clapham, Wimbledon, Coombe, Wandsworth and Putney as areas to take its white-glove approach to helping clients sell and let the finest properties. To continue the UK Sotheby’s International Realty recruitment ethos, the company will only hire extremely experienced agents in the new locations; associates who live and breathe the new neighbourhoods.

It took Azar and his team under two years to achieve their goal of becoming a leading authority in Super Prime Central London. Now, it’s on to the next mission.

Discover more at sothebysrealty.co.uk