Grand Union exploring potential merger with fellow housing association 

Grand Union Housing Group and Longhurst Group have entered talks over a potential merger. 

The groups, which, combined, currently own and manage over 37,000 homes and employ over 1,400 colleagues across the midlands and east of England, are exploring a proposal that would see them come together before the end of the year. 

The Boards of the two organisations have approved a business case that unlocks significant potential to invest even more in their existing homes and neighbourhoods and deliver 5,000 much needed new homes over the next five years.  

The new organisation would be one of the largest housing associations in the region, providing high-quality homes and locally based services across its operational area. 

Longhurst Group’s Chief Executive Julie Doyle said: “We have a strong existing relationship with Grand Union Housing Group, with whom we share similar visions and values as well as our geographic footprints and growth aspirations. 

“We feel that both organisations have complementing strengths as well as areas that can be further improved by coming together, which would give us the opportunity to learn from each other and, ultimately, deliver the best possible service for our customers. 

“There is still a lot of work to be done, however both organisations believe there is a strong case for coming together and we are excited by the potential that this move would represent.” 

The two organisations will now enter a period of due diligence and will consult customers about the potential change. 

Grand Union CEO, Aileen Evans, added: “Both ourselves and Longhurst Group are well governed and built on solid financial foundations and we believe that we’d be even stronger together as a larger organisation and have more resilience to respond to a challenging operating environment.   

“We are exploring this from a position of strength and this presents an exciting opportunity for both organisations to take proactive steps in ensuring we’re well placed for the future.   

“As one organisation, we could better realise our aims for the future; specifically, to speed up improvements in our homes, provide enhanced services and build more homes.” 

What this means for customers 

In the coming days, customers will receive a letter in the post to outline this proposal and what it means for them. 

We’re really keen to understand what our customers think and would encourage everyone to share their views. 

The customer consultation will open on Wednesday, 24 July and remain open for six weeks until Wednesday, 4 September.  

Customers will be able to feedback in three ways: 

• Online  

• By calling us. 

• By post feedback using the form and envelope enclosed with the letter. 

A dedicated customer consultation page will go live on our website next week.