It’s 1986, A-ha were at the top of the charts, a house in Denmark Street cost around £40,000, and a pint was about 80p. It’s also the year that two young Bedfordians, Steve Cooper and Russell Beard, signed the lease on a small shop on Castle Road
Forty years on from that day (Saturday, 1 February 1986), Cooper Beard Estate Agents is marking four decades at the forefront of the Bedford property market.
Looking back, director Russell Beard admits it feels like a lifetime ago.
“It was a long time ago. We basically undercut the other agents’ fees and charged 1% commission, which was unheard of in those days.
“The market was flying, this was Thatcher’s boom period, and from having an empty shop in February, we sold 88 properties in April. It was a crazy time,” he said.
Early on, the firm was instructed to sell the third phase of the Duckmill Crescent development, which they sold entirely off-plan. Russell says that early success helped put the new business on the map.
“This gave us credibility. We were up against just 13 other agents in town, and they were all good, Kilroy’s, Colley Sampson, Peacocks, Amos Horsburgh, Brown and Merry, JR Eves, Porters and Stratfords, to name but a few.
“There was no Rightmove in those days, you really had to prove yourselves as individuals against stiff competition.”
Growing with the town
In 1990, Cooper Beard moved from Castle Road to the former Taylor Brawn and Flood premises opposite EP Rose (later Debenhams) in the High Street.
Russell’s mother brought her lettings agency into the business at the same time, building a combined sales and lettings operation in the town centre.
A move to Harpur Street followed in 2002, then on to their current base on Goldington Road in 2013.
Over the years, the business grew well beyond Bedford.
“The business grew to the point where at one time we employed 85 staff across five counties and ten companies,” said Russell.
“I have sold most of those operations in recent years, and we are now solely focusing on our residential sales and lettings work in Bedford.”
Community at the core
As well as selling homes, Russell says being part of Bedford life has always been central to the firm’s identity.
“We are proud to have supported many charities and organisations, including Bedford Christmas Tree Festival as main sponsor, Bedfordshire cricket, Bedford Blues and Foundation, plus conducting hundreds of charity auctions both locally and nationally.
“Being integral to your community has always been a priority for us.”
Looking back over four decades, he estimates that Cooper Beard has played a role in moving thousands of local households.
“I reckon we have sold about 11,000 properties in the Bedford area over the 40 years and been involved in many significant local developments, which include being part of the team that delivered Riverside North.”
From a two-man start-up on Castle Road in the mid-1980s to a familiar Bedford name 40 years later, Cooper Beard’s story has certainly grown alongside the town it serves.
