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Houseful (company)

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Houseful
Houseful
Company typePrivate
IndustrySoftware, real estate
PredecessorZoopla Property Group
FoundedJanuary 2008; 16 years ago (January 2008)
FoundersHarrison Wright
Simon Kain
Alex Chesterman
HeadquartersLondon, England, UK
Number of locations
United Kingdom
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
Charlie Bryant, CEO
ServicesProperty and Comparison search Software
Revenue£317.3 million (2018)[1]
OwnerSilver Lake Partners (since 2018)
Number of employees
600
ParentSilver Lake Partners
DivisionsZoopla, Hometrack, Alto, Jupix, Primelocation, Calcasa, Mojo Mortgages, Yourkeys
Websitehouseful.co.uk

Houseful is a British residential property software, data, and insight company based in London, England, owned by Silver Lake Partners.[2][3]

Its brands include the property website Zoopla, automated valuations (AVMs) provider Hometrack, and software brand Alto.[4] Alongside these sites, Houseful owns and operates several brands providing services to estate agents, housebuilders, brokers, lenders, and consumers. These include Jupix, Calcasa, Primelocation, Yourkeys and Mojo. ZPG Ltd., Houseful's previous parent company, which included the brands USwitch and Money.co.uk, was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Silver Lake Partners in July 2018.[5]

History

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The company was originally founded as Zoopla in 2007 by Alex Chesterman and Simon Kain. Chesterman and Kain also founded ScreenSelect (later LoveFilm).[5] The Zoopla website was launched in January 2008. Zoopla was backed by Accomplice, Octopus Ventures and other investors.[6][7] In July 2009, Zoopla acquired property website Thinkproperty.com from the Guardian Media Group.[8]

In August 2009, Zoopla acquired the PropertyFinder Group, consisting of the websites Propertyfinder.com, Hotproperty.co.uk and UK Property Shop, from prior owners the REA Group and News International for an undisclosed sum.[9] These businesses had combined annual revenues of £7 million. In January 2011, Zoopla acquired the historic database of UK house prices HousePrices.co.uk.[10]

In October 2011, Zoopla and Digital Property Group, the subsidiary of A&N Media, operating property websites Primelocation.com, Globrix.com and FindaProperty.com, merged their respective businesses. In May 2012, Zoopla acquired property information website UpMyStreet.com.[11]

In April 2016, Zoopla acquired property software firm PSG for £75 million from Lloyd’s private equity arm LDC.[12]

In May 2018, Hometrack sold off the Australian arm of its business for £71m. It was sold to property portal and media business REA.[13][14] In January 2021, Hometrack acquired the mortgage automation arm of EDM Group.[15]

In November 2020, ZPG sold the company Ravensworth back to its original owning entity, The Printed Group.[16]

In April 2021, the company acquired software provider Yourkeys.[17][18]

2012: Formation of Zoopla Property Group (ZPG)

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In June 2012, Zoopla and its constabularies formed Zoopla Property Group Ltd.[19] Zoopla's biggest shareholder, the Daily Mail and General Trust, floated Zoopla on the London Stock Exchange in June 2014.[20]

In June 2015, Zoopla bought the price comparison website Uswitch for £190m.[21] In February 2017, the company changed its name to ZPG plc.[22] In September 2017, Zoopla purchased the financial services comparison website Money.co.uk for £140 million.[23][24]

2018: Acquisition of ZPG by Silver Lake Partners

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In May 2018, US private equity firm Silver Lake Partners made a $2.2 billion bid for ZPG's property division (now Houseful) and its comparison division RVU.[25][26] The transaction was completed in July 2018.[27]

2023: ZPG Property Division rebrands as Houseful

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In September 2023, the ZPG property division was renamed Houseful to reflect the evolution of the business from a property website to a software, data and insights business in residential property. ZPG’s comparison division remains known as RVU.[28][29][30]

Operations

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Houseful operates across three distinct business units: Homes, Software, and Data and Risk. The Homes business unit includes Zoopla, Mojo Mortgages, and Prime Location.[31]

The Software business unit connects businesses and consumers, powering more than half of all UK housing transactions each year. It includes brands Alto, Jupix, and Yourkeys.[31][32]

The Data and Risk business unit is focused on increased automation across the mortgage lending and wider property industries. It includes the brands of Hometrack and Calcasa.

References

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  1. ^ "Fast Track Company Details". Zoopla. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  2. ^ B, Rahul; Sandle, Paul (2018-05-11). "Britain's Zoopla, PrimeLocation bought by Silver Lake for $3 billion". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  3. ^ Lucy White (11 May 2018). "Zoopla's parent group ZPG looks set to be taken over by US private equity firm Silver Lake for £2.2bn". CityAM. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  4. ^ Khan, Mehreen (2017-01-31). "Zoopla snaps up Hometrack in £120m deal". Financial Times. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  5. ^ a b "About Zoopla!". Retrieved 2008-07-26.
  6. ^ "Our portfolio – Zoopla". Retrieved 2008-07-26.
  7. ^ "Business Digest". The Times. London. 2009-01-18. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  8. ^ Sweney, Mark (2009-07-15). "Zoopla buys Thinkproperty.com from Guardian Media Group". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  9. ^ Sweney, Mark (2009-08-07). "News International sells PropertyFinder website to Zoopla.co.uk". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  10. ^ "Zoopla acquires Houseprices.co.uk". Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  11. ^ "Zoopla acquires UpMyStreet.com – Zoopla". Retrieved 2012-11-08.
  12. ^ Negotiator, The (2016-04-20). "Zoopla acquire PSG". The Negotiator. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  13. ^ Lewis, Nigel (2018-05-01). "ZPG sells of Hometrack Australia to Oz counterpart the REA Group". The Negotiator. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  14. ^ "Zoopla owner sells Aussie home valuation unit after 15 months". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  15. ^ Reporter, Financial. "Hometrack acquires EDM's mortgage automation arm". Financial Reporter. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  16. ^ "ZPG sell off Ravensworth". Property Industry Eye. 18 Nov 2020.
  17. ^ Lewis, Nigel (2021-04-26). "BREAKING: Zoopla acquires sales progression platform YourKeys". The Negotiator. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  18. ^ Salisbury, Ben. "Zoopla acquires sales progression platform YourKeys - AIM Group". aimgroup.com. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  19. ^ "Zoopla and Digital Property Group merger completes". 1 June 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  20. ^ "Zoopla float to value property website at £919m". The Guardian. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  21. ^ "Zoopla to buy Uswitch price comparison site". BBC News. 30 April 2015.
  22. ^ "Zoopla Property Group changes name to ZPG". Property Portal. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  23. ^ "Zoopla is buying financial comparison site Money.co.uk in deal worth up to £140 million". nordic.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  24. ^ "Zoopla buys the financial services of Money.co.uk in deal worth up to £140m". Express.co.uk. 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  25. ^ "Zoopla's parent group ZPG looks set to be taken over by US private equity firm Silver Lake for £2.2bn". City AM. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  26. ^ "Property Refurbishment London". Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  27. ^ "Court sanctions £2,2 billion ZPG deal". Inside Media. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  28. ^ Callaghan, David (2023-09-12). "Zoopla parent ZPG rebrands property division as 'Houseful'". The Negotiator. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  29. ^ "ZPG's Property Division To Undergo Name Change To Houseful | Online Marketplaces". www.onlinemarketplaces.com. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  30. ^ "Zoopla parent company unveils rebrand". Estate Agent Today. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  31. ^ a b "ZPG's Property Division To Undergo Name Change To Houseful | Online Marketplaces". www.onlinemarketplaces.com. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  32. ^ Callaghan, David (2023-09-12). "Zoopla parent ZPG rebrands property division as 'Houseful'". The Negotiator. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
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