Gascoigne Halman
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Latest property news
EXCLUSIVE: Agents’ Mutual and Gascoigne Halman return to court to fight it out again
Agents’ Mutual and estate agent Gascoigne Halman are to lock horns once more in the courts in two week’s time, The Negotiator can reveal. The Court of Appeal has disclosed that the two sides are due in court on November 27th for a three day hearing after Gascoigne Halman, which is owned by Connells, was given leave to challenge the original Competition Appeal Tribunal adjudication which took place in July last year. That found that Agents’ Mutual, which since the court case has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of OnTheMarket plc, was entirely legal in its pursuit of a then strictly enforced ‘one other portal rule’ which has since been dropped, and also its exclusion of online-only and hybrid agents and its listings’ ‘exclusivity’. The three judges also did not find that Agents’ Mutual had pursued any kind of concerted ‘boycott’ of Zoopla, as had been suggested during the original 10-day hearing. Agents’ Mutual “In July 2017, judgement was handed down by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in favour of Agents’ Mutual and against Gascoigne Halman Limited on all competition issues; the One Other Portal rule was upheld as lawful and enforceable and Agents’ Mutual was awarded £1.2m as an interim payment towards…
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Latest property news
OnTheMarket wins claim against Gascoigne Halman in long-awaited tribunal decision
OnTheMarket has won the Competition Appeal Tribunal case it brought against Gascoigne Halman after the agent, following its acquisition in October 2015 by Connells, refused to abide by OnTheMarket’s ‘one other portal rule’. After the ruling OnTheMarket Chief Executive Ian Springett (pictured, below) accused Zoopla of funding the action, and also said that he intended to recoup legal and other court costs from Gascoigne Halman, particularly so because “the manner in which our opponents conducted the case has caused us to divert considerable resources and management time”. Gascoigne Halman said during the hearings that its contract with OnTheMarket was in effect void because what it believed are restrictive clauses within it were in breach of Section 2 of the Competition Act 1988. These include the ‘one other portal rule’ which requires participating agents to only use two property portals, the ‘bricks and mortar rule’ prohibiting online agents from joining OnTheMarket, and the ‘exclusive promotion rule’ that prevents agents from promoting their membership of Rightmove or Zoopla. The legal process was triggered when Gascoigne Halman listed its properties on all three property portals in defiance of OnTheMarket. OnThemarket subsequently sought a judgement on the matter through the tribunal system to prove…
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Agencies & People
Connells Group acquires Gascoigne Halman
Connells Group has agreed a deal to buy Gascoigne Halman, taking its high street network to nearly 540 branches across the UK. Connells’ decision to purchase Gascoigne Halman, which has 18 branches operating across south Manchester, north east Cheshire and the High Peak, will extend its geographical reach and fits in with the firm’s expansion strategy, and follows on from the acquisition earlier this year of Peter Alan, Adrian Cole & Partners, Cartwrights, Harrisons, Platinum lettings, Selective Lets, among a host of other purchases. Gascoigne Halman will continue to trade under its existing brand with Founder and Managing Director John Halman remaining at its helm. David Plumtree (left), Connells Group Estate Agency Chief Executive, commented, “We are delighted to welcome such a strong and high quality business as Gascoigne Halman to the Connells Group. This acquisition is a good strategic fit for our expansion plans and perfectly complements our branch network. It brings depth and further quality to our existing portfolio and gives us a presence in this region for the first time.” “There are strong synergies between the Connells Group and Gascoigne Halman and we are looking forward to working with John and his team,” he added. Partnering with…
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