Richardson & Smith
Richardson & Smith is a privately-held partnership firm founded in 1887 in Whitby, UK, providing estate agency, chartered surveying, livestock auctioneering, antiques auctions, and property valuations across the Whitby and North Yorkshire Moors region. It serves residential, agricultural, and commercial property clients with a 7-person team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1887
- HeadquartersWhitby, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Richardson & Smith does
Richardson & Smith is a traditional partnership firm of Chartered Surveyors, Estate Agents, Auctioneers, and Valuers headquartered at 8 Victoria Square, Whitby, United Kingdom, founded in 1887 by Charles Smith. The firm serves the Whitby area and North Yorkshire Moors region, providing professional advice across residential, commercial, and agricultural property matters as well as live and deadstock marketing. Descendants of the original founder remain as partners, with current partners Robert Smith (antiques and livestock), Ian Halley FRICS (property), and James Smith MRICS FNAEA (residential, agricultural, and commercial property). The firm is regulated by RICS, NAEA, and The Property Ombudsman Scheme, and holds Clients' Money Protection certification.
The firm operates as a multi-service property and auction business built around three pillars: property sales and lettings (residential, commercial, agricultural), livestock and antiques auctioneering (anchored by the company's Ruswarp Mart venue conducting twice-weekly livestock sales and the Westcliff Salerooms for antiques), and professional valuations and rural advisory services (mortgage, insurance, inheritance tax, dispute resolution, rent reviews, farm sales, and grant scheme advice). Distribution relies on a hybrid channel mix comprising Rightmove property portal syndication, organic social media (Facebook, Instagram), a property mailing list, a basic company website, and physical auction events at the firm's own venues. There is no proprietary technology platform, no mobile application, and no AI/ML capabilities disclosed.
The revenue model is primarily transactional, with commission-based income from property sales, auction fees from livestock and antiques sales, and professional fees for valuations and advisory work. A recurring revenue stream exists through lettings and rental management. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; consultations are offered free of charge. The firm operates from three locations: the Whitby head office, the Ruswarp Livestock Market, and the Westcliff Salerooms antiques venue. Headcount is 7 total, with three named partners, and the business is privately-held with no external investment, parent company, or M&A activity. Geographic scope is regional (Yorkshire), with no expansion signals beyond the established catchment.
Richardson & Smith firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Richardson & Smith
- Legal name
- Richardson and Smith
- Website
- https://richardsonandsmith.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1887
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Richardson & Smith is a privately-held partnership firm founded in 1887 in Whitby, UK, providing estate agency, chartered surveying, livestock auctioneering, antiques auctions, and property valuations across the Whitby and North Yorkshire Moors region. It serves residential, agricultural, and commercial property clients with a 7-person team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Richardson & Smith industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Real Estate Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Timberland & Forestry Properties Brokerage (BPAJADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Timberland Asset Management & Consulting (AFAMAAAI)
Keywords
Where Richardson & Smith is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Whitby
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Richardson & Smith business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Property Sales Commission: Commission-based estate agency services for residential, commercial, and agricultural property sales
- Lettings and Rental Management: Letting advice and property management services for residential, agricultural and commercial property
- Livestock Auctioneering: Weekly livestock sales at Ruswarp Mart - Monday fat stock and Wednesday store stock auctions
- Professional Valuations: Valuations for all purposes including mortgage, insurance, inheritance tax, and dispute resolution
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Richardson & Smith product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Richardson and Smith is a traditional firm of chartered surveyors, estate agents, auctioneers, and valuers based in Whitby, UK. It provides residential, commercial, and agricultural property sales and lettings, weekly livestock auctions at Ruswarp Mart, antiques and fine art auctions at Westcliff Salerooms, and professional valuations conducted by RICS-qualified surveyors. The firm was founded in 1887 and serves the Whitby area and North York Moors region with a multi-generational partnership structure.
Product overview
Richardson & Smith is a traditional firm of Auctioneers, Estate Agents, and Valuers offering a comprehensive suite of property and livestock marketing services. The business operates as a unified service portfolio organized around three core areas: property services (residential, commercial, and agricultural sales and lettings), livestock auctioneering (through Ruswarp Mart with primestock and store sales), and specialist agricultural services (farm sales, valuations, and rural property advice). The firm was founded in 1887 and maintains partnerships with descendants of the original founder. Key named services include Property Sales, Property Lettings, Livestock Auctioneering, Antiques and Fine Art Auctions, Farm Sales, Property Valuations, Property Management, Agricultural Property Services, and Farms and Land Sales. The company is regulated by RICS and The Property Ombudsman Scheme.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Property Sales
- Property Lettings
- Livestock Auctioneering
- Antiques and Fine Art Auctions
- Farm Sales
- Property Valuations
- Farms and Land Sales
Companies that use Richardson & Smith
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Richardson & Smith technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Richardson & Smith partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Richardson & Smith competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Carter Jonas: UK-wide chartered surveyors with strong rural, agricultural, residential, and commercial property practices. Overlaps significantly with Richardson & Smith's service mix but operates across multiple regions with larger partner headcount.
- Strutt & Parker: National UK rural estate agency and chartered surveying firm offering estate management, farm sales, residential property, and professional services. A larger incumbent with overlapping rural property expertise but a significantly broader geographic and service footprint than Richardson & Smith.
- Savills: Global real estate services firm with substantial UK rural property and estate agency operations. Competes in the same client segments (high-value rural estates, farms, country houses) but at much greater scale and with national/international reach.
Regional players
- Bell Ingram: Scottish rural property specialists offering estate agency, farm sales, forestry, and rural advisory. Comparable rural property and agricultural specialism but focused on Scotland rather than competing directly in Richardson & Smith's North Yorkshire territory.
- Galbraith: UK-wide rural property specialists with strong presence in Scotland and Northern England. Similar integrated rural, agricultural, and residential property services but with multi-region footprint beyond Richardson & Smith's Whitby-only geography.
Direct peers
- George F. White: North East England-based chartered surveyors and estate agents specializing in rural, agricultural, and commercial property. Highly comparable as a regional firm combining estate agency, farm sales, valuations, and rural advisory in a defined Northern UK geography.
- Youngs RPS: North East England-based chartered surveyors and rural property specialists handling farm sales, estate management, valuations, and planning. Closely comparable mid-sized regional firm with similar service profile to Richardson & Smith.
- Hopkins & Dainty: Lincolnshire-based rural estate agents and chartered surveyors specializing in farmland, country property, and agricultural valuations. Comparable niche rural property focus with similar partnership-based, regionally-concentrated operating model.
- H&H Land & Estates: Cumbria and Northern England-based rural property specialists offering farm sales, livestock auctions, and estate agency. Directly comparable to Richardson & Smith's combined rural property and livestock auction proposition in a neighboring UK region.
- Cundalls: Yorkshire-based chartered surveyors, estate agents, and auctioneers covering residential, commercial, agricultural, and rural property across the region. Closely matches Richardson & Smith's Yorkshire focus, multi-disciplinary service stack, and traditional partnership structure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Richardson & Smith social profiles
Digital presenceRichardson & Smith compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Richardson & Smith financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Richardson & Smith leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Richardson & Smith funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Richardson & Smith 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 Richardson & Smith
What does Richardson & Smith do?
Richardson and Smith is a traditional firm of chartered surveyors, estate agents, auctioneers, and valuers based in Whitby, UK. It provides residential, commercial, and agricultural property sales and lettings, weekly livestock auctions at Ruswarp Mart, antiques and fine art auctions at Westcliff Salerooms, and professional valuations conducted by RICS-qualified surveyors. The firm was founded in 1887 and serves the Whitby area and North York Moors region with a multi-generational partnership structure.
Is Richardson & Smith a public or private company?
Richardson & Smith is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Richardson & Smith founded?
Richardson & Smith was founded in 1887. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Richardson & Smith based?
Richardson & Smith is headquartered in Whitby, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Richardson & Smith make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Property Sales Commission is the primary driver. The others are lettings and Rental Management, livestock Auctioneering and professional Valuations.
Who are Richardson & Smith's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Carter Jonas, Strutt & Parker and Savills. Regional players are Bell Ingram and Galbraith. Direct peers are George F. White, Youngs RPS, Hopkins & Dainty, H&H Land & Estates and Cundalls.
Does Richardson & Smith have an API?
No public API is recorded for Richardson & Smith.
What industry is Richardson & Smith in?
Richardson & Smith's product category is Real Estate Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJADAC, Timberland & Forestry Properties Brokerage, with a secondary code of AFAMAAAI, Timberland Asset Management & Consulting. Its NAICS code is 5312.