Tony McDonough meets CHRIS JOHNSON, of Smith and Sons

CHRIS JOHNSON acknowledges the severity of the current recession, but also carries the air of a man who has seen it all before.

Johnson is the senior partner at Wirral-based property firm, Smith and Sons, a business with a long history in the borough.

Smith and Sons began in 1840, the year Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, the Penny Black stamp was issued and the Cunard Shipping Line was established.

Thomas Smith, the founder of Smith and Sons, set up business as a land and estate agent at 13, Duncan Street, Birkenhead.

He later took his three sons into partnership one of whom, Frederick Smith was the father of FE Smith, the first Earl of Birkenhead and Lord Chancellor from 1919-1922.

Up until the mid-1980s, the firm operated a chain of residential estate agency offices before deciding to concentrate more on commercial property.

Today, its 23 staff and three partners operate across a number of areas including commercial agency work, management of commercial and residential properties, property auctions, valuations, surveys and grant applications. It is based in Hamilton Square, in Birkenhead. Its lettings business alone manages more than 2,500 properties across the North-West.

“We have a good pedigree,” said Johnson, 56, who joined Smith and Sons in the mid-1970s.

He has worked through recessions of the 1970s and the early 1990s, and is able to compare those periods to the current downturn.

He added: “People think this one has been the worst, but in the early 1990s the bad times went on for about five years.

“These things come in cycles and the market always comes back. You just have to adapt to the circumstances.

“We have not let any staff go during the downturn.

“In fact, we have taken a couple more on.”

Johnson believes people in the property sector are keen to do deals, but says the lack of bank finance is hampering progress.

“There are people who want to do deals in both the commercial and residential sides,” he said.

“There is pent-up demand there.

“There is a lot of demand for residential building land, although no one really wants to build flats at the moment.

“There are some fantastic prices if you have the cash, but the problem is bank lending and the availability of finance.”

There is a division of labour between the three partners at the firm. Shaun Seery looks after commercial management and agency, Todd Miller oversees residential management and lettings, and Johnson is in charge of valuations and the growing auctions division.

Merseyside is a UK hot-spot for property auctions, with players in the market including Sutton Kersh, Venmores, Merseyside Property Auctions and Whitegates.

Smith and Sons more than holds its own in that group, and is currently handling between £7m-10m of auction transactions a year, down from around £15m prior to the recession.

“Our auction house is the fifth largest in the country,” said Johnson.

“More and more people are keen to come to the auctions to see what they are about.

“Properties that sell well at auction are those in need of refurbishment and homes in probate.

“We are seeing first-time buyers coming along, but a lot of the people you see will be dealers, developers and investors.”

Smith and Sons’ commercial agency business worked with major business names including Park Group, Cammel Laird and Tulip.

Johnson takes his wider community responsibilities seriously and is heavily involved with both the Wirral Investment Network and the Hamilton Quarter Business Forum.

In recent months the firm has worked closely with North West property giant Peel on its huge proposed Wirral Waters development.

Johnson believes the scheme will have a transformational effect on the borough.

He said: “We have been involved in lot of the major developments in Wirral over the years. European money has been very helpful to developers.

“I think Wirral Waters will happen. If you look at Peel’s track record over the years, you will see it is a company that delivers.

“It is the best thing to happen to Wirral for as long as I can remember, and we all have to give it our support.”

Johnson, a married father-of-two, was born in the Midlands and when he was a teenager the family relocated to Merseyside.

He attended Merchant Taylors’ School, in Crosby, and left at 18 with a dilemma.

“I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to be a solicitor or a surveyor,” he said.

“I worked for a property firm in Liverpool called Paterson & Thomas. I found I liked surveying – getting out and meeting people – so that was the career I chose.

“I enrolled on a correspondence course and worked in the day and studied at night.

“I joined Smith and Sons in the mid-70s and became a partner about 20 years ago. I think the biggest change I have seen over that time is the increase in regulation – there is so much more of it now. I enjoy meeting with other surveyors – I think there is a real camaraderie in the sector. We all get on well and are a real tight-knit community.”

Johnson’s wife, Alison, works as a teacher and their grown-up children, Jenny, 26, a physio, and Nick, 24, who works in marketing, are both based in the south of England.

His own passion is golf. He is a keen player and is also on the committee at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, which is due to host the Open Championship again in 2014.

Johnson is pleased Smith and Sons is emerging from the recession in good health, and is optimistic about the future of the business.

He said: “We have a good base from which to grow, and I think finally we are starting to see the market pick up again in the past few weeks. We have seen quite a few lettings in retail and warehouses.

“We have a real family atmosphere at the firm and that has led to a very low turnover of staff. We always aim to give a good service to our clients in good times and bad. That is why they stick with us.”