Kivells
Kivells is an independent estate agency, auction, and rural professional services firm serving Devon and Cornwall. Founded in 1885, it operates five offices, three livestock markets, and conducts property, machinery, and livestock auctions alongside chartered surveying services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1885
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Kivells does
Kivells Limited is an independent property, agricultural, and professional services firm founded in 1885 by William Thomas Kivell in Pyworthy and Holsworthy, Devon. Headquartered at Holsworthy and operating across Devon and Cornwall in South West England, the company runs five estate agency offices (Exeter, Holsworthy, Launceston, Liskeard, Bude) and three livestock market centres (Holsworthy, Exeter, Hallworthy), employing approximately 170 full and part-time staff. Its service portfolio spans residential sales and lettings, commercial property, farms and land, development land and planning, professional surveying (valuations, compulsory purchase, countryside stewardship, landlord/tenant, renewables), property auctions, livestock auctions (cattle, sheep, pigs, dairy), and machinery and equipment auctions.
The firm generates revenue through transaction fees and commissions across its property, livestock, and machinery auction lines, plus professional service fees for chartered surveying and rural advisory work. Distribution is primarily direct through physical offices and market centres, supplemented by listings on Rightmove, Zoopla, On The Market, and online bidding platforms (EIG Property Auctions for property, Marteye for machinery). Customer segments include property buyers, sellers and landlords, farmers and agricultural businesses, property investors and developers, and residential landlords.
Kivells transitioned to a hybrid Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) model on 30 June 2026, combining employee ownership with continued senior management and shareholder involvement under Chairman Simon Alford and Managing Director Mark Bromell. The business is privately held, with no institutional venture capital or private equity investors identified; corporate finance advice on the EOT transition was provided by Isca Ventures. The firm is registered in England and Wales, with registered office at Melrose House, Pynes Hill, Rydon Lane, Exeter.
Kivells firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kivells
- Legal name
- Kivells Limited
- Website
- https://kivells.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1885
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Kivells is an independent estate agency, auction, and rural professional services firm serving Devon and Cornwall. Founded in 1885, it operates five offices, three livestock markets, and conducts property, machinery, and livestock auctions alongside chartered surveying services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kivells industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Real Estate and Agricultural Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Land & Farm/Ranch Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Farmland Brokerage (Row Crops, Specialty Crops) (BPAJADAA), Ranches & Livestock Properties Brokerage (BPAJADAB), Transitional/Development Land Brokerage (Entitled, In-Path-of-Growth) (BPAJADAJ), Rural Residential & Acreage Homesites Brokerage (BPAJADAE)
Keywords
Where Kivells is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices8 records
Markets served
Kivells business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Property Sales and Lettings Commission: Commission from residential, commercial, and agricultural property sales and lettings across Devon and Cornwall.
- Auction Services: Fees from property auctions, livestock auctions, and machinery auctions. Property auctions held monthly at Lifton Strawberry Fields with sales exceeding £820,000 to over £2 million per auction event.
- Professional Services: Fees for rural professional services including chartered surveying, valuations, farm subsidies, grants, planning, landlord/tenant matters, and compulsory purchase/compensation claims.
- Livestock Market Operations: Operating three livestock markets (Exeter, Holsworthy, Hallworthy) handling cattle, sheep, and other livestock sales.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels13 records
Kivells product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kivells is an independent firm providing estate agency (residential, commercial, farms and land sales and lettings), property auctions, livestock auctions across three market centres, machinery and equipment auctions, and rural professional services including chartered surveying, valuations, planning, farm subsidies and grants, landlord/tenant matters, and compulsory purchase/compensation. The firm operates five offices and three livestock market centres across Devon and Cornwall, combining in-person local expertise with digital property portal listings and online auction bidding.
Product overview
Kivells is a multi-service property and agricultural firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of services organized around four main divisions: (1) Agricultural sales and auctions including three livestock markets (Holsworthy, Exeter, Hallworthy) plus on-farm sales; (2) Farm, Residential and Commercial Property covering sales, auctions and lettings; (3) Professional and Valuation services including compulsory purchase, countryside stewardship, rural planning, and renewables; (4) Machinery and Equipment auctions. The core products include Residential Sales, Residential Lettings, Property Auctions, Farms & Land, Commercial Property, Development Land and Planning Services, Agriculture & Livestock, Machinery & Equipment, and Professional Services. The company operates from five main offices (Exeter, Holsworthy, Launceston, Liskeard, Bude) and three livestock market centres across Devon and Cornwall, with approximately 170 full and part-time staff. Established in 1885, the firm recently transitioned to an Employee Ownership Trust model in 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Sales
- Residential Lettings
- Property Auctions
Quantifiable outcome
- Over £21.7 million in property auction sales in 2023
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Kivells
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Kivells technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Kivells partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Kivells competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Savills: Savills is a leading global real estate services firm with a substantial rural agency and farms and estates business across the UK. Overlaps with Kivells in farms, estates, professional valuation and rural property services but at much larger scale and broader geographic coverage.
- Carter Jonas: Carter Jonas is a national UK property consultancy with established rural, residential, commercial and development land teams. Comparable to Kivells in rural agency, farms and land, planning and professional services, but operating UK-wide with significantly greater resources.
- Strutt & Parker (BNP Paribas Real Estate): Strutt & Parker is a UK-wide firm of chartered surveyors and estate agents with a strong farms, estates and country houses division, now part of BNP Paribas Real Estate. Competes with Kivells in farms, land and estate agency at the upper end of the market and offers a broader platform.
Direct peers
- Lambert & Foster: Lambert & Foster is a long-established Kent and Sussex firm of chartered surveyors, estate agents and valuers active in rural, residential and commercial property. Directly comparable to Kivells as an independent multi-office regional rural practice with similar service mix and customer base.
- Brown & Co: Brown & Co is a UK-wide firm of chartered surveyors specialising in rural, commercial and residential property, with strong farm sales and professional services offerings. Comparable to Kivells in rural estate agency, farms and land brokerage, and valuation services across multiple regions.
- Stags: Stags is one of the largest independent firms of auctioneers, valuers and estate agents in the West Country, operating across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset with residential sales, livestock and property auctions. Closest direct comparable to Kivells given overlapping South West geography and similar mix of estate agency, property auctions and livestock markets.
- Symonds & Sampson: Symonds & Sampson is an independent firm of chartered surveyors and estate agents across Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon and Hampshire, active in rural, residential and commercial property sales and auctions. Directly comparable to Kivells as a multi-office regional rural property and auction firm.
- Greenslade Taylor Hunt: Greenslade Taylor Hunt is a long-established Somerset and Devon-based firm of chartered surveyors, estate agents, valuers and auctioneers covering residential, agricultural and commercial property. Directly comparable to Kivells across rural estate agency, livestock/property auctions and professional services in the South West.
- Hobbs Parker: Hobbs Parker is an Ashford, Kent-based firm of chartered surveyors, estate agents, valuers and auctioneers with livestock markets, property auctions and rural professional services. Directly comparable to Kivells as an independent rural multi-service firm combining estate agency, livestock and property auctions.
- Dreweatts: Dreweatts is a Berkshire-based regional auction house conducting property, fine art, jewellery and wine auctions with live and online bidding. Comparable to Kivells as an independent regional auctioneer, particularly on the property auction side where Kivells has built a record-breaking Devon/Cornwall franchise.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kivells social profiles
Digital presenceKivells compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Kivells financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kivells leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Kivells funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kivells M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kivells
What does Kivells do?
Kivells is an independent firm providing estate agency (residential, commercial, farms and land sales and lettings), property auctions, livestock auctions across three market centres, machinery and equipment auctions, and rural professional services including chartered surveying, valuations, planning, farm subsidies and grants, landlord/tenant matters, and compulsory purchase/compensation. The firm operates five offices and three livestock market centres across Devon and Cornwall, combining in-person local expertise with digital property portal listings and online auction bidding.
Is Kivells a public or private company?
Kivells is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Kivells founded?
Kivells was founded in 1885. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Kivells based?
Kivells is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Kivells make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Property Sales and Lettings Commission is the primary driver. The others are auction Services, professional Services and livestock Market Operations.
Who are Kivells's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Savills, Carter Jonas and Strutt & Parker (BNP Paribas Real Estate). Direct peers are Lambert & Foster, Brown & Co, Stags, Symonds & Sampson, Greenslade Taylor Hunt, Hobbs Parker and Dreweatts.
Does Kivells have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kivells.
What industry is Kivells in?
Kivells's product category is Real Estate and Agricultural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAEAD, Land & Farm/Ranch Real Estate Auctions, with a secondary code of BPAJADAA, Farmland Brokerage (Row Crops, Specialty Crops). Its NAICS code is 5312 and its SIC code is 6531.