Du Val vs Clarke Group – What’s the difference?

I recently published an article about the Du Val Group going into receivership. They’ve received a lot of negative press in recent weeks and, in my mind, that has been justified.

Over the last few years I’ve also released a list of every developer I recommend and a few I don’t.

Some investors have noticed that Du Val, run by Kenyon Clarke, is on our “do not recommend” list. However, Clarke Group is one of our recommended developers.

So, I’ve recently fielded questions, including: “Is Clarke Group the same as Du Val? Is it run by Kenyon Clarke?”

I believe in honestly answering every question investors ask, because that way you can make a good investment decision.

Clarke Group is owned and run by Austen Clarke. He is the brother of Du Val’s founder, Kenyon Clarke.

While Austen and Kenyon share the same last name, there is no connection between Du Val and the Clarke Group. They are completely separate businesses.

I asked Austen about this, and he said: “From a professional perspective, there is no business relationship between my brother (Kenyon) or Du Val and Clarke Group; and we have never been in business together.

“From a personal perspective, my heart goes out to the family – particularly the children.”

To become one of my recommended developers, Clarke Group had to go through our due diligence process at Opes Partners and I feel confident in the properties we’ve recommended from Clarke Group.

I like to think about it this way.

If I ask you to think about your own siblings for a moment. If your brother, sister or friend went through a tough financial time, how would you feel? You’d feel for them personally.

But, would that be a reflection on your personal finances? Probably not (if you’d kept things separate).