Rural Matters Takes Centre Stage as H+H Unites its Businesses

Building on more than 150 years as a pioneering presence in agriculture, one H+H will make specialist services easier to access while preserving the local knowledge and personal service its customers value.

The launch follows an 18-month programme involving consultation with employees, customers, stakeholders and the wider rural community about H+H’s role today and what people need and expect from it in the future. Harrison & Hetherington, H&H Land & Estates and H&H Insurance Brokers are well known and highly respected in their respective fields, but the full breadth of H+H’s knowledge is less widely understood. One H+H brings the organisation and its expertise together; Rural Matters expresses the commitment behind that work.

Richard Rankin, Chief Executive of H+H, said, “Rural Matters is more than a strapline. It reflects our responsibility to understand the bigger picture, look beyond the immediate business transaction and consider what decisions mean for livelihoods, families, land and communities.”

Employing more than 280 people across Northern England and Southern Scotland, H+H has seven areas of rural expertise: livestock trading, machinery sales, land and property sales and management, insurance broking, land and business consultancy, environmental advice and financial services. Their work often overlaps. Passing on a farm, for example, can involve decisions about livestock, land, finance, insurance and the family’s future.

Richard continued, “Rural Matters reflects our commitment to contribute practical knowledge and informed views to discussions about food production, land use and the future of rural communities. Through our work with farmers, landowners and rural businesses, we understand how these issues affect everyday decisions and their longer-term consequences.”

He added, “Someone who knows us through livestock may not realise we can also help with land, insurance or financial planning. H+H brings that knowledge together, helping us consider a customer’s plans as a whole and what they mean for their business and family. Our specialist teams and the personal service they provide remain central to how we work.”

The October launch will introduce the new visual identity and website with the wider rollout following in phases over the coming months. Beyond the launch, Rural Matters will guide H+H’s work and provide a platform for its specialists to share insight on succession, investment, environmental change, and food production, alongside the wider issues shaping the rural economy.