Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that there were just over half a million jobs advertised in the U.K. in the three months to April 30th 2013 which is the highest figure over three months that has been seen since 2008.  Even that comparison is hardly fair since the 2008 figure was a three month period from October to December when typically the market is buoyed by seasonal jobs.

In a formal statement the administrators, Lines Henry, explain that; “The company has experienced difficult trading conditions in recent months leading to the directors seeking advice and appointing the joint administrators.”

The notice of administration is also quick to clarify that Theladders.co.uk is a totally separate legal entity from its American namesake Theladders.com which is not affected by the move.

After four decades of being a regular on the newsagents’ shelves the magazine had fallen from an all-time high of 368,000 copies sold in January 2000 to the current figure of  27,000 while the Auto Trader website has seen visitor numbers rise steadily to a current figure of 11 million per month.

Zillah Byng Maddick, acting chief executive of Trader Media Group, said of the move; “With a marked shift by consumers and dealers to online platforms as a means of accessing information and buying and selling vehicles, we continue to innovate to ensure that we offer them the products and services they require through their channels of choice.”

Andy Hill, Business Services Director of Zoopla Property Group, said: ”We are really excited to be launching this unique product to our members. Given the appetite from overseas buyers, tenants and investors, our Global Network will give our members additional and unrivalled international exposure and reach.”

]]> http://aimgroup.com/2013/04/30/zpg-global-network-adds-feed-from-40-international-portals/feed/ 0 http://aimgroup.com/2013/04/30/konetic-acquires-recruitactive/ http://aimgroup.com/2013/04/30/konetic-acquires-recruitactive/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:08:44 +0000 Steve Shipside http://aimgroup.com/?p=34980 Konetic, the U.K. e-recruitment software specialist is aiming to expand its offerings with the acquisition of RecruitActive which subsequently becomes a wholly owned subsidiary. According to Konetic’s M.D.Paul Finch the move is about extending the company’s product portfolio in a bid to broaden appeal to customers and attract a higher profile within the business.

“This agreement…enables us to better serve our customers with a range of systems to suit every online recruitment requirement” notes Finch. “Whether customers are looking for an out-of-the-box solution or a large scale bespoke implementation, we can deliver. Our two companies are quite similar in terms of business culture which is based on delivering excellent customer service. We look forward to combining our teams to benefit customers, forming a company that’s greater than the sum of its parts.”

Auction House claims to be the largest residential property auctioneer in the U.K. based on the £200 million of business it did over nearly 150 auctions last year. Movehut’s CEO, Justin Bates observes of the two businesses that; “Our respective businesses are experiencing very strong rates of growth as both the popularity of online commercial property search and auction sales are increasing. As well as being a leader in the residential market, Auction House entered 2013 as one of the top five auctioneers of commercial property and this looks set to be a growing part of their business.”

Thomas Ashdown, Citylets founder and MD put those figures in the perspective of the ZPG/Rightmove duel saying; “We believe it is essential that Scotland maintains its own strong, regional portals to counter the corporate duopoly currently sweeping the rest of the UK. Many Scottish letting agents support this view – it was certainly a key driver in our decision not to continue content sharing last year.”

Ashdown continues in combative mode with the comment that; “The network model, pioneered by Citylets, was primarily designed to allow Scottish letting agents to tap into additional (English) tenant markets, not pave the way for large corporates to enter the local Scottish market. Scotland’s property and portal markets have been functioning fine without them. Consolidation in the UK property portal market in recent years [has] rendered the network model obsolete. Due to their size, remaining potential mainstream partners became too big to partner with and as much a threat as an opportunity.”

With smartphone ownership reported to have reached two-thirds of the U.K. population in December mobile advertising grew by 148 per cent to £526.0 million in 2012 up from £203.2 million in 2011.

Mobile now accounts for 9.7 per cent of all digital advertising spend.  Which is remarkable set in the context that in 2009 it accounted for just over one per cent.

According to the IAB Classifieds grew 6.3 per cent from £788 million £853.8 million and accounted for 16 per cent of digital adspend with recruitment classifieds being singled out for their strong growth of 7.6 per cent over the year, reaching just under £300 million by 2012.

He will take over in June at which point there is some uncertainty about whether the acting CEO Zillah Byng-Maddick will resume her post as CFO – a role she has occupied since the previous CEO John King stepped down back in September.

Personnel changes notwithstanding, Trader Media Group seems to be thriving with a reported six percent year-on-year rise in pre-tax profits to £16.9m. Most importantly, it also points to a digital growth that is offsetting the 30 percent decline in sales of Auto Trader magazine.