Digital Property Group and Zoopla merge
By Steve Shipside
The number two and number three in the U.K. property portal market have announced a merger with the clear aim of taking on Rightmove – the longtime occupier of the number one slot. Continue reading
Zoopla powers Johnston Press
Zoopla, the U.K. property portal has announced a deal with regional newspaper publisher Johnston press to provide the property classifieds for the publishers 270 local sites.
Zoopla founder and chief executive Alex Chesterman said: “We are very excited to be embarking on this strategic relationship with Johnston Press, one of the UK’s leading regional media groups. The addition of our property functionality across their significant network of local websites is a natural fit which will provide clear benefits to the Johnston audience and to our members.”
Mr Chesterman has been announcing his excitement a lot lately as Zoopla gets ever more active with appointments.
That fact doesn’t appear to have escaped Henry Faure Walker, digital and business development director at Johnston Press who comments that:“Zoopla is one of the most innovative players in the online property space and this partnership will see them power an exciting new property platform for our local websites.”
Sales Director jumps from TDPG to Zoopla
Summer is drawing to a close and as the ‘Back to School’ signs go up in shop windows so portal staff get ready for new appointments. Back in February The Digital Property Group announced that its Sales Director, Jon Notley, was leaving but it is only now that Zoopla has confirmed he is to be Commercial Director reporting directly to founder and CEO, Alex Chesterman. “We are delighted to welcome Jon to the senior management team at zoopla.co.uk,” comments Chesterman. “His experience, background and knowledge of the industry and players will ensure that we continue to grow and serve our members well.”
Notley will be responsible for all revenue streams at Zoopla.co.uk. He is the second high profile appointment to Zoopla in recent weeks, the other being Product Director Lydia Goldberg.
New Product Director at Zoopla
Lydia Goldberg, previously digital development director at newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror has been hired by U.K. property portal Zoopla to be Product Director. As such her job includes product definition, development and delivery which puts her squarely in the front line of the ongoing struggle for dominance between the Zoopla and The Digital Property Group.
Goldberg reports directly to founder Alex Chesterman who says of the appointment;“We are delighted to welcome Lydia to the senior team at Zoopla. Her experience and background will ensure that we continue to lead the market in terms of product innovation and continue to be the most useful online property resource for UK consumers and agents.”
Zoopla signs local press partnership
U.K. property portal Zoopla has signed a long-term deal with local newspaper owners Archant, publisher of over 60 regional papers. The deal sees Archant financing and promoting the relaunch of the Homes24.co.uk brand while Zoopla takes over the running of the site.
Alex Chesterman, founder and CEO of Zoopla.co.uk, said: “’We are delighted to have entered into this strategic relationship with Archant. Through their strong offline and online media assets they are in a unique position to drive a significant level of traffic and, by combining these assets with our technology platform, we are looking forward to helping to make homes24.co.uk a key player in the online property space and to delivering even greater value to our members.”
In his comments on the deal Serge Taborin, business development director at Archant, indicated that the deal enabled the local papers to muscle up their advertising offer to local businesses; “This partnership will allow Archant to provide our users with a market-leading online property search product and focus on maximising traffic to the homes24.co.uk website, while giving our local estate agents significantly greater exposure and helping them generate even more leads. With a vast majority of people searching for property online, this deal enhances our online strategy and serves to maximise the opportunity from each of our media assets.”
For Archant the deal appears to represent a means of focusing on core skills and handing off online while still reaping the rewards, for Zoopla it is undoubtedly another string to their bow as the company draws aim on the market leader Rightmove.co.uk.
Zoopla buys HousePrices.co.uk
In December 2010 U.K. Property portal Zoopla announced that it had secured a £3.25 million funding package which it intended to use as a war chest for expansion. The first shot in that war now seems to be the acquisition of HousePrices.co.uk, a site that lets users search the U.K. Land Registry database of houses sold and the prices paid.
Zoopla hasn’t disclosed what it paid for the service, but CEO Alex Chesterman makes it clear that the deal is all about extending the portal’s reach;“This acquisition adds to the growing list of websites that we now either own directly or power exclusively, extending our reach even further and allowing us to offer our agent and developer members exposure to a unique and unrivalled online audience. HousePrices.co.uk has built a very strong following over the years by offering a great service, which we intend to continue.”
The U.K. property portal market remains dominated by RightMove with Zoopla and TDPG jostling for the right to claim second place.
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