Winkworth has launched a new in-house recruitment department to provide a service for franchisees to find and hire staff.

It will be led by head of recruitment Lucy King, who has served in similar roles at Chestertons and Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward.

King started her career in 2005 in a front-line sales role at KFH before moving into recruitment.

Her role will be to identify and employ new recruits for the franchise network.

She said: “This is an exciting time to join Winkworth and I’m thrilled to be a part of their network growth.

“As a franchised business, it’s already evident that each office has its own identity with a real entrepreneurial spirit, and I look forward to identifying those who could be our franchisees and employees of the future.”

Dominic Agace, chief executive of Winkworth, said: “I have no doubt Lucy’s extensive experience both front and back of house will be a great asset to us.

“Her appointment is an important step for us to further enhance our offering to prospective franchisees.

“We work hard behind the scenes to provide our franchisees with an exceptional back of house function, so that they can concentrate on what they do best – helping people to buy and sell their homes.”