Mike Goddard
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Movers & Shakers
Familiar face joins Belvoir
Belvoir has announced that Andrew Goddard has come out of retirement after a ten-year absence to rejoin the company in a new role of Operations Specialist.
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Latest property news
Michael Stoop takes over chair of Belvoir board as founder retires
Veteran of industry with 40-year track record in franchising to steer company's board as co-founder steps down.
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Latest property news
Northwood MD Eric Walker promoted to run whole of Belvoir
The MD of Northwood Eric Walker has been promoted to run the whole four-brand operation of parent group Belvoir Lettings Plc.
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Latest property news
OnTheMarket branch listings sink to all-time low, claims ZPG
The number of branches listing on OnTheMarket has sunk to an all-time low of 5,500 which is 200 fewer than in August when it announced it was de-mutualising ahead of a stock market IPO, it has been claimed by ZPG. The portal giant says the number of branches to have rejoined its portals Zoopla and PrimeLocation after initially leaving to sign up with OnTheMarket has hit 1,000, while claiming that its own listing branches have grown to 14,750. Recent returning customers include 11 Martin & Co franchisee branches, London agency Hurford Salvi Carr’s six branches and Thames Valley and Chilterns agent Andrew Milson’s five branches. Competitive disadvantage “We are continuing to see agencies from around the country re-joining ZPG on a weekly basis as agents increasingly understand that they are at a competitive disadvantage when not partnering with us,” says Mike Goddard, Managing Director of ZPG Property Services. OnTheMarket’s own figures show that in August it had 5,700 agent branches listing properties on its portal, down from its launch total of approximately 6,500 branches, and that it currently has 2,700 estate agent clients. The ongoing agent drain from OnTheMarket to ZPG is puzzling; member agents of OTM’s parent company Agents…
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Latest property news
ZPG says its vendor leads have surged by a third
ZPG has revealed that the number of vendor leads it has passed on to its agent customers has increased by a third just days after OnTheMarket announced it is to raise £50 via a flotation on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM. The company, which operates Zoopla and PrimeLocation, the UK’s second and third largest property portals in the UK by the number of agents listed on its sites and traffic, says it has so far sent 300,000 vendor leads and over 13.7 million applicant leads to its members so far this year. This, ZPG claims, has created fees for its member agents worth £225m. But although the company claims the pick-up is largely down to its online home valuation tools, the increase in vendor leads is also an early signal that the UK sales market may be picking up. Leads from vendors seeking an agent to sell their home increased by 31% compared to the first six months of last year, ZPG says. “[ZPG] continues to generate more appraisal leads than any other website as a result of [our] unique valuation tools,” says Mark Goddard, Managing Director of ZPG’s Property division. “We continue to deliver the best value and most…
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Latest property news
Belvoir buys mortgage broker as founder steps down
Belvoir has bought mortgage broker Brook Financial Services for £2 million in a deal which will see the franchise agency pay £1.5 million in cash plus £500,000 in ordinary shares. Brook, which trades as Mortgage Advice Bureau and is the appointed UK representative of the PLC with the same name, is one of the UK’s leading referral networks for mortgage intermediaries. Its client list includes many independent estate agents across the UK. Brook, which is based in Barnsley has 32 staff, says it will “leverage its expertise to introduce new mortgage products and services to the Belvoir Group”. The company was set up in 2010 by Michelle Brook (pictured left). She is the sole shareholder and has worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years. “The acquisition today of Brook by Belvoir represents a significant milestone for the business and provides the opportunity to grow sales of financial service products within the Belvoir group. Brook has a fantastic team of experienced advisers and a solid support structure operating within the Mortgage Advice Bureau network from which the Belvoir Group will benefit.” Brook turned over £1.6 million during its last audited year of trading and made a profit of…
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Agencies & People
Belvoir results reveal 19% revenue boost from Northwood purchase
Latest financial results from Belvoir, the UK’s largest franchise network, reveal that its recent acquisition of rival Northwood helped it boost group revenue by 19% during the first quarter of its financial year. Revenue from its franchise fees increased by 5% including an 8% rise in lettings fees but a drop in sales fees of 4% when compared to the same period last year. This, the company says, was caused mainly by the rush by investors and prime property owners to complete before last year’s Stamp Duty tax deadlines. Newton Fallowell This year-on-year reduction was more pronounce within its 31-branch East of England brand Newton Fallowell where the sales fall-off was 13%. But for investors, the galloping speed at which the Belvoir group is growing overall helped mitigate these sales reductions – Belvoir says its growth in sales was 33% as its rolls out sales across the UK. Revenue at Belvoir increased by £700,000 driven mainly by the Northwood acquisition although the franchising of six formerly corporate-owned offices has cost £200,000. “The Group has seen a healthy start to 201,” says Chairman and CEO Mike Goddard. “The Board has been working closely with franchisees providing the support they need to…
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Latest property news
Belvoir confident 3.3m EU nationals will stay after Brexit
Property franchise giant Belvoir says the EU referendum vote last year failed to impact its business, unlike many of its rivals. It also believes that the 3.3m EU nationals living in the UK will continue to have the same right to live and rent in the UK after Brexit as they do now, so there will be “no foreseeable reduction in the current level of demand for housing”. The comments came in Belvoir’s 2016 annual report published today, which also reveals that it is now the largest UK property franchise firm following its purchase of rival Northwood GB in June. “The Belvoir Group has not suffered any negative effects as a result of the EU referendum result,” the annual reports says. Started in 1995 and floated on AIM in 2012, Belvoir now has 302 branches within its network, 110 ahead of its nearest rival, Martin & Co. This includes a handful of corporate offices, 150-plus Belvoir franchisees plus the branches within its recent acquisitions. These have been Newton Fallowell in the East Midlands with 30 branches and Goodchilds in the West Midlands with 14 branches, both in 2015. Then last year Belvoir acquired Nortwhood GB with 87 outlets. This buying…
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