WhatHouse? Awards 2020 Winner: Audley Villages
After a double-win in its specialism category at the WhatHouse? Awards 2020, the chief executive officer of retirement developer Audley Villages, Nick Sanderson, tells us what it’s meant to him and the company.
What are the key qualities and USPs that led to you entering?
“We are incredibly proud to have won Gold and Silver for our villages Audley Cooper’s Hill and Audley Stanbridge Earls in the 2020 Best Retirement Development category. Both are a real testament to the work that our teams put in at the villages, from the construction and design right through to the day to day running of the village and support of the care teams. Our goal is to maintain high standards across all of our villages and to be an exemplary provider of retirement living, the awards are recognition of this and mean a lot to us.
Audley Cooper’s Hill
“The WhatHouse? Awards are one of the hallmark awards in our industry, with an extensive history, real credibility and the backing of Show House. For our current and prospective owners, it is imperative that we have received awards from a trusted name and the WhatHouse? Awards do just this, but importantly the awards are also recognised by investors looking at the retirement living sector. We’ve won the WhatHouse? Award for Best Retirement Development more times than any other developer in the last ten years and won more Gold awards than all other developers combined. This doesn’t go unnoticed. With many other retirement development providers establishing themselves in the sector and it becoming an increasingly attractive investment opportunity, awards like this set us aside in a competitive market.
What effect did lockdown have on preparing an entry for the 2020 Awards?
“The pandemic has bought much change for the business world and undoubtedly one positive is the wider adoption of digital processes. We found the entry process a lot easier and smoother in 2020 with the online entry form and we definitely think this should stay for the future. It’s easier and more environmentally friendly, something we as a business are very focused on at the moment.
It must have been satisfying for everyone at the company – does your achievement help to retain and attract the best people to the team?
“The awards have definitely added value to our business over the last ten years. They have positioned our villages attractively to new property owners with some even mentioning our award wins when they’ve come to visit our villages and they have also increased our appeal to investors. We believe our award wins over the years have piqued the interest of new investors like one of our most recent partners, Royal London, who we announced a joint venture with to create our 21st village, Audley Wycliffe Park in Buckinghamshire.
Audley Stanbridge Earls
“Moreover, industry recognition can be just as effective in attracting new talent and cementing recent moves by new employees into our business. We have worked hard to establish a company culture in which our employees can be proud and awards contribute to this, bringing everyone together to celebrate success.
Do you have any current developments in mind to enter into the 2021 Awards?
“Yes, absolutely. We want to continue our track record and will be entering our very first London retirement village, Audley Nightingale Place which is based in Clapham. We have made significant progress in the retirement sector at a time when more housing options are desperately needed, and we look forward to making another successful entry.”