Purplebricks

Last updated

Purplebricks Group PLC
Company type Public
AIM: PURP
Industry Internet & Real Estate
Founded2012
Headquarters,
United Kingdom  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Key people
Paul Pindar (Non-Executive Chairman)
Helena Marston (CEO), Stephen Anthony Long (CFO) [1]
Revenue£111.1 million (2020) [2]
-£9.4 million (2020) [2]
Website www.purplebricks.com

Purplebricks is a British online estate agent which operates in the UK. Founded in 2012 by Michael Bruce, Kenny Bruce and David Shepherd, [3] it is backed by investors that include venture capital firm DN Capital [4] as well as Neil Woodford, Paul Pindar, and Errol Damelin. [5] [6]

Contents

History

Early history

Michael Bruce, Kenny Bruce and David Shepherd conceived their idea for an online estate agency in 2012. [7] [8] Property sales in the United Kingdom had historically been handled by traditional (or "high street") estate agencies. [9] The brothers previously led one such agency, Burchell Edwards, and believed that a lower-cost, digital model for residential property sales could be developed that reduced expenses associated with running a chain of physical offices. [8] [10] The name “Purplebricks” was chosen for this venture while brainstorming around a kitchen table. [11] The founders felt that the colour purple symbolised "regalness" while "bricks" reflected property and technology, and that “Purplebricks” would be a recognisable brand name. [11] [12]

The corporate parent of Purplebricks was initially registered in April 2012 with the name New Portal Limited. In October 2012, the name was changed to New Broom Limited, signalling a desire to sweep clean the existing UK residential property market and bring about a fresh approach. [13] [7] Early investors included DN Capital, the London-based technology fund, Paul Pindar, the former CEO of Capita, Martin Bolland, Capita's then non-executive chairman, and Errol Damelin, the founder of Wonga. [14] [15]

In April 2014, Purplebricks publicly launched and began listing homes in the United Kingdom, although initially only within parts of southern England. [9] In August, the company raised £8m of equity investment led by fund manager Neil Woodford, who acquired a 30 percent stake in the company. [16] [17] By May 2015, operations expanded into other regions of England and Wales, and plans were announced for a possible stock market listing. [18] The company appointed Canaccord Genuity to oversee the potential float. [19] Expansion into Northern Ireland and Scotland followed in June and November, respectively. [20] [21]

Becoming public

In December 2015, Purplebricks formally announced its plan to launch on AIM later that month, making it the first online estate agency to debut on the stock market. [22] [23] Ahead of the float, the company stated that it had 4,300 residential properties listed for sale—nearly twice the number of the next largest online agency—and intended to use raised funds to further boost its national presence, acquire more agents, and invest in the brand and technology. [24] [22] The company also announced it had already sold £58 million worth of shares, primarily to three major corporate investors: Old Mutual, Artemis, and Fidelity. [25] As part of the IPO process, the corporate parent of Purplebricks, New Broom Limited, re-registered as a public limited company with the name Purplebricks Groups Limited. [14] Shares began trading on 17 December. [25] Just under a quarter of the company sold to investors, valuing the online estate agent at £240.2 million. [25]

Further growth and international expansion

In June 2016, Purplebricks announced that it had recruited an Australian management team and planned to launch its platform in the country. [26] In August, Purplebricks launched a media campaign in Australia about the company's fixed-price property marketing, and formally launched its operations there later that month. [27] [28] [29] In 2017, Purplebricks’ Australian subsidiary generated a £6.1 million loss with £3.9 million spent on administration costs and £3.8 million spent on marketing and PR-related costs. [30]

Purplebricks expanded into the United States in 2017, beginning operations in Los Angeles before moving into San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno, and then New York in 2018. [31] [32] The expansion was supported by more than $60 million in funds raised through a special stock offering. [33] Purplebricks' business proposition remained essentially the same for U.S. customers: the company charged a listing fee of $3,200, which sellers were required to pay regardless of whether their home sold. [33]

In August 2017, Purplebricks was featured on BBC's Watchdog following an investigation into claims of misleading customers. [34] [35] [36] In September 2017, consumer review website Trustpilot issued an open letter clarifying its Purplebricks review policy following allegations concerning the “validity of reviews of Purplebricks by customers”. [37] [38] That same month, the company was accused of “corporate bullying” following suspension from estate agent review website allAgents.co.uk. Purplebricks threatened the consumer review website with legal action over the publication of negative reviews due to the site's lack of vetting for those leaving reviews. [39] [40] [41]

In July 2018, Purplebricks expanded their operations into Canada through the $38 million acquisition of DPCF, a Canadian real estate company that also positioned itself as "commission-free". [42] [43] The acquisition announcement noted that DPCF would continue to be led by the existing management team. [43] [44]

In October 2018, Purplebricks announced it would be entering the European market through a joint venture with digital publisher Axel Springer SE. The two companies would jointly purchases a 25.9% stake in Homeday, a German online estate agent. [45] Like Purplebricks, Homeday markets itself by highlighting its lower selling fees compared to traditional agents. [46]

Forbes magazine reported in January 2020 that an email was sent from Purplebricks Canada's marketing department to all employees asking for positive reviews from friends and family regardless of whether they had had any business dealings with the company. In exchange it was reported that the employee that facilitated the most reviews would receive a paid day off. [47]

In June 2020, Purplebricks, Axel Springer, and venture capital firm Project A made further investments in Homeday to help the company expand its operations. [46] [48]

International financial losses

In August 2018, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported troubling management and lacklustre sales issues. [49] [50] [51] In February 2019, Purplebricks' share price dropped sharply after it lowered its US and Australia revenue forecasts. [52] In May 2019, Purplebricks vowed to shut down operations in Australia due to lack of profitability, after reporting an $18m interim loss for the six months to October. [53] This came days after the company's then CEO, Michael Bruce was laid off after disagreements with Paul Pindar over the failed overseas expansion. [54] The AFR reported that "increasingly challenging market conditions" and "execution errors" contributed to Purplebricks closure of Australian operations. [55]

In July 2019, new CEO Vic Darvey announced that Purplebricks would be shutting down operations in the United States, announcing that operating costs had risen to almost £52.3 million, said that it would focus its attention on Britain and Canada. [54]

In 2020, the company reported revenue of £111.1 million and an operating income of -£9.4 million. [56] [57] [58]

On July 15, 2020 Desjardins Group announced that they were purchasing the Canadian business of Purplebricks Group PLC for US$60.5 million. [59] It was reported that in the first year of operation, Purplebricks Canada ran an operating loss of US$4.8m. According to BNN Bloomberg at the time of the acquisition, Purplebricks Canada and DuProprio had "more than 500 employees in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta". [60] Desjardins was permitted to use the Purplebricks brand and logos until December 2020. [61]

In August 2021, Purplebricks announced its strategic focus was now "fully on the UK", where it planned to accelerate its model, extend its market share, and continue to grow revenue. [62] [63]

In December 2021, Purplebricks delayed publication of its results and warned shareholders that it could be forced to pay up to £9 million in compensation to tenants of its landlords. It said that during an internal review it discovered a regulatory “process issue in how it has been communicating with tenants on behalf of its landlords in relation to deposit registrations”. [64]

Sold for £1.00

Strike, the Charles Dunstone-backed competitor, acquired Purplebricks, for a nominal amount of £1, posing a significant risk of redundancy for its workforce of over 750 employees. Purplebricks, which experienced a peak valuation of over £1.3 billion, underwent a change in ownership in 2023. [65]

Business model

Purplebricks is a technology-led [66] estate agency that provides a hybrid service, as it combines the use of an online platform and local property agents. [67] [68] Vendors and landlords can manage their property let or sale using the online platform and app. [68] [69] The local property agents assist with valuations, listings, and other ancillary services. [67] [68] [69] The company does not maintain a branch network of brick-and-mortar estate agencies, which reduces fixed costs associated with rent, energy usage, and other operational expenses. [7] In part due to these savings, Purplebricks charges customers lower fixed fees. [7] [70]

Purplebricks charges a fixed upfront fee for its services that sellers pay to be listed, rather than a percentage of the sale price once the property sells. [68] [71] [7] This fee includes consultation services from a local agent, photography of the property, listings on property portals like Rightmove and Zoopla, and management of the sales process. [68] Payment may be made when the property is listed or after a ten month deferral. [68] This approach is different from the commission-based structures of traditional estate agencies, in which agents are paid their fee only if the property sells. [71]

Local agents are referred to as “local property experts” and work remotely in their local area. [71] [7] Agents visit the seller’s home directly to discuss the sale and value the property—and, once instructed, to provide services, including creating a floorplan of the property, taking pictures, and providing assistance with other aspects of online marketing. [71] [7] For an additional fee, agents can lead viewings of the property. [7] They may also assist with negotiations when selling. [71] [7]

Brand and marketing

Purplebricks Property Sign 2021.jpg

Purplebricks' commission-free, hybrid agency business model was intended to disrupt the UK residential property market, [7] and marketing has been a central element of the company's business strategy. [72]

In 2016, Purplebricks began using the tagline "commisery", meaning the misery home sellers feel about paying commission, to distinguish itself from traditional real estate agencies. [73] A full advertising campaign about the concept followed the next year, and ran extensively in the UK, US, and Australia. [74] [75] The campaign won an Effectiveness Award from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising in 2018 for demonstrating proof on payback on marketing communications, [75] [76] as the campaign contributed to a 218 percent growth in revenue. [77]

In 2019, Purplebricks was added to the Superbrands list, which tracks consumer perception of brand and marketing activity. [78] [79] Purplebricks' presence on the list was seen as an indication that the company had established itself as a household name. [78] [80] In 2020, Purplebricks claimed to have achieved 98 percent brand awareness within the UK. [81]

In 2021, Purplebricks arranged a product placement on the British soap opera series Coronation Street . [82] [83] The company was featured as the estate agent that would be selling the show's fictional Rovers Return Inn. [82] [83] The appearance of the Purplebricks sign above the pub marked the first time a firm had integrated a product into one of the show's storylines. [82] [83]

In 2024, ITV agreed to support Strike/Purplebricks with £1.5 million in convertible loan notes. [84] However, only a few months later, the BBC heavily criticised Purplebricks following numerous complaints from unsatisfied clients whose homes failed to sell. [85] [86] These clients reported having to pay for a purportedly free service that did not succeed in finding buyers.

Related Research Articles

In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of real property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien. A typical conveyancing transaction has two major phases: the exchange of contracts and completion.

A multiple listing service is an organization with a suite of services that real estate brokers use to establish contractual offers of cooperation and compensation and accumulate and disseminate information to enable appraisals. A multiple listing service's database and software is used by real estate brokers in real estate, representing sellers under a listing contract to widely share information about properties with other brokers who may represent potential buyers or wish to work with a seller's broker in finding a buyer for the property or asset. The listing data stored in a multiple listing service's database is the proprietary information of the broker who has obtained a listing agreement with a property's seller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estate agent</span> Person or business that specialises in the selling or letting of property

An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting, or managing of properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent. Estate agents are mainly engaged in the marketing of property available for sale and contract reassignments, and a solicitor or licensed conveyancer is used to prepare the legal documents. In Scotland, however, many solicitors also act as estate agents, a practice that is rare in England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prudential plc</span> British multinational life insurance and financial services company

Prudential plc is a British-domiciled multinational insurance company headquartered in London and Hong Kong. It was founded in London in May 1848 to provide loans to professional and working people.

Property management is the operation, control, maintenance, and oversight of real estate and physical property. This can include residential, commercial, and land real estate. Management indicates the need for real estate to be cared for and monitored, with accountability for and attention to its useful life and condition. This is much akin to the role of management in any business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affordability of housing in the United Kingdom</span> Housing affordability in the UK

The affordability of housing in the UK reflects the ability to rent or buy property. There are various ways to determine or estimate housing affordability. One commonly used metric is the median housing affordability ratio; this compares the median price paid for residential property to the median gross annual earnings for full-time workers. According to official government statistics, housing affordability worsened between 2020 and 2021, and since 1997 housing affordability has worsened overall, especially in London. The most affordable local authorities in 2021 were in the North West, Wales, Yorkshire and The Humber, West Midlands and North East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For sale by owner</span> Selling real estate without a broker or agent

For sale by owner (FSBO) is the process of selling real estate without the representation of a broker or agent. This is where the homeowner sells directly to a new homeowner. Homeowners may still employ the services of marketing, online listing companies, but can also market their own property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Business broker</span>

Business brokers, also called business transfer agents, or intermediaries, assist buyers and sellers of privately held businesses in the buying and selling process. They typically estimate the value of the business; advertise it for sale with or without disclosing its identity; handle the initial potential buyer interviews, discussions, and negotiations with prospective buyers; facilitate the progress of the due diligence investigation and generally assist with the business sale.

An electronic version of the real estate industry, Internet real estate is the concept of publishing housing estates for sale or rent online, and for consumers seeking to buy or rent properties through such platforms. Often, Internet real estate properties are listed and managed by landlords themselves. However, there are few exceptions where an online real estate agent would exist, still dealing via the World Wide Web and often stating a flat fee and not a commission based on the percentage of total sales. Internet real estate platforms surfaced around 1999 when technology advanced and statistics prove that more than 1 million homes were sold by the owners themselves in the United States alone in 2000. Some of the primary Internet real estate platforms include Zillow, Trulia, Yahoo! Real Estate, Redfin and Realtor.com.

REA Group Ltd and its subsidiary companies, known as the REA Group, make up a global online real estate advertising company. REA Group is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with subsidiary offices in Wanchai, Hong Kong and Gurugram, India.

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

Trustpilot Group plc, is a Danish consumer business operating a review website founded in Denmark in 2007 which hosts reviews of businesses worldwide. Nearly 1 million new reviews are posted each month. The site offers freemium services to businesses. It has been criticised for the publication of fake reviews, and allowing companies to remove negative reviews. Trustpilot is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Realtor.com</span> Real estate website

Realtor.com is a real estate listings website operated by the News Corp subsidiary Move, Inc. and based in Santa Clara, California. It is the second most visited real estate listings website in the United States as of 2021, with over 100 million monthly active users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamptons (estate agent)</span> Estate agent based in London

Hamptons is an estate agent that has a UK network of more than 93 branches and an international affiliate partner network of over 7,000 offices. Hamptons' parent company, Countrywide, was acquired by The Connells Group in April 2021.

Purplebricks Canada is a Canada-based real estate brokerage and a subsidiary of Desjardins Group.

Teddy Sagi is an Israeli billionaire businessman based in London and Dubai. Sagi is the founder of the gambling software company Playtech, cybersecurity company Kape Technologies and owner of London's Camden Market. His personal wealth is estimated at US$5.7 billion, with interests in real estate, gambling software, payments processing, and digital advertising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domain Group</span> Australian digital real estate information company

Domain Group is an Australian digital property portal and associated real-estate industry business. It is best known for its real-estate website domain.com.au, and also owns the brands commercialrealestate.com.au and allhomes.com.au. The company was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fairfax Media from 1999 until November 2017, when Domain was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange as a public company, although Fairfax Media retained a 60% ownership of shares.

Michael Bruce is a British entrepreneur, and the co-founder and ex CEO of the online estate agent Purplebricks.

KwikChex is an online investigation and reputation management firm founded by Chris Emmins. It was founded in Bournemouth, United Kingdom in 2010, and moved to Taunton in 2018. It is particularly known for its work in consumer protection, including creating and managing the Timeshare Task Force and for challenging the authenticity of content on online review websites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greystar</span> Real estate investment firm

Greystar Real Estate Partners is an international real estate developer and manager based in the United States. As of 2023, Greystar had over $76 billion in gross assets under management, and operated in 17 countries.

References

  1. "Purplebricks Group PLCPURP.L". reuters. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Purplebricks Group plc Final results for the year ended 30 April 2020" (PDF). Purplebricks. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  3. NA, NA (23 March 2017). "'Star investor' Neil Woodford has just bet £7m on online estate agent Purplebricks". Management Today. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  4. "Purplebricks Gets Another £8M To Disrupt Real Estate Agencies In The UK". TechCrunch. 18 August 2014.
  5. Kollewe, Julia (3 December 2015). "Purplebricks float expected to value online estate agent at £240m". www.TheGuardian.com. The Guardian - Guardian News and Media Limited . Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  6. Steafel, Eleanor (3 December 2015). "Purplebricks becomes first online estate agent to list in London". www.Telegraph.co.uk. The Daily Telegraph - Telegraph Media Group Limited . Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Lemen-Hogarth, Jen (14 September 2017). "Purplebricks: Hybrid estate agency's lessons from the UK". Real Estate Business. Australia. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  8. 1 2 Renshaw, Rosalind (19 March 2014). "Former Burchell Edward brothers return to estate agency". Property Industry Eye. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  9. 1 2 Allen, Kate (22 August 2014). "Property portals hand control to homeowners". Financial Times. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  10. Baum, Andrew (April 2017). "PropTech 3.0: the future of real estate" (PDF). University of Oxford Research.
  11. 1 2 Norwood, Graham (10 August 2018). "Purplebricks' founders came up with the name around a kitchen table". Real Estate Today. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  12. "Michael Bruce: The entrepreneur behind Purplebricks who's shaking the foundations of estate agency". Evening Standard. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  13. "PURPLEBRICKS GROUP PLC". Companies House. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  14. 1 2 "DN Capital leads investment in Purplebricks alongside former Capita boss". Private Equity Wire. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  15. Pescod, Adam (2 June 2014). "Online estate agency purplebricks.com is shaking up the housing market". Elite Business. UK. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  16. Rafiq Omar, Rayhan (21 August 2014). "Purplebricks raises £8m to disrupt high street estate agents". UKTN. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  17. Renshaw, Rosalind (4 December 2015). "Purplebricks says 'not possible' to run online agent alongside high street model". Property Industry Eye. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  18. "Factbox - UK real estate agents planning IPOs". Reuters. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  19. Lynch, Russell (24 March 2015). "Purplebricks to put its own house up for sale". The Independent. UK. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  20. Stinson, Jamie (1 June 2015). "Northern Ireland online estate agents return home with 'cheaper alternative'". Belfast Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  21. Norwood, Graham (24 November 2015). "Purplebricks launches in another region as stock market float nears". Estate Agent Today. UK. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  22. 1 2 Kollewe, Julia (3 December 2015). "Purplebricks float expected to value online estate agent at £240m". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  23. Steafel, Eleanor (3 December 2015). "Purplebricks Becomes First Online Estate Agent To List In London". The Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  24. Evans, Judith (3 December 2015). "Woodford-backed Purplebricks heads for Aim IPO". Financial Times. UK. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  25. 1 2 3 Curwen, Edward (17 December 2015). "Purplebricks valued at £240 million for IPO". The Times. UK. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  26. "Online estate agent Purplebricks sees UK profit, eyes Australia market". Reuters. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  27. "UK Real Estate Agency Disruptor Purplebricks Appoints VCCP Sydney for Australian Launch". Little Black Book. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  28. "VCCP Sydney Launches Purplebricks Into Australia To Disrupt The Real Estate Sector". Reuters. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  29. Stiles, Jackson (5 September 2016). ""Super profits" of real estate agents back in the spotlight". SmartCompany. Australia. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  30. Schlesinger, Larry (29 June 2017). "Australian expansion keeps Purplebricks in the red". Financial Review. Australia. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  31. Olick, Diana (15 September 2017). "No more 6% commission – these brokers will sell your house for a flat fee". CNBC. United States. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  32. "UK's Purplebricks to enter New York in wider U.S. real estate push". Reuters. United States. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  33. 1 2 Wiggin, Teke (14 September 2017). "Purplebricks is here: UK low-fee brokerage invades LA". Inman. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  34. "Purplebricks apologises for repeating banned claims after share price falls 7pc". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  35. "Purplebricks shares drop by 6% following BBC investigation - The Negotiator". thenegotiator.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  36. "Purplebricks CEO savaged on BBC's Watchdog - Mortgage Solutions". Mortgage Solutions. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  37. "Open Letter in response to questions regarding Purplebricks and Trustpilot" (Press release). London: Trust Pilot. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  38. "Exclusive: Trustpilot review company explains its Purplebricks policy". Estate Agency Today. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  39. "Purplebricks 'bullied review website' over negative responses". The Times. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  40. "Website Suspends Purplebricks Reviews Page After Legal Threats". NY Times. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  41. "Escalating Purplebricks vs allAgents spat goes global". The Negotiator. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  42. Hinchliffe, Emma (2 July 2018). "Purplebricks expands into Canada through acquisition". Inman. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  43. 1 2 "Purplebricks purchases DuProprio/ComFree". REM (Real Estate Magazine). 9 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  44. "Acquisition of DuProprio/ComFree" (Press release). Financial Times. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  45. "Purplebricks pushes into Germany with Homeday stake purchase". Reuters. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  46. 1 2 Lewis, Nigel (17 June 2020). "Purplebricks invests more cash in growing German copycat". The Negotiator. Propertydrum Ltd. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  47. Midolo, Emanuele. "Purplebricks Canada Offered Employees Days Off For Made Up 5-Star Reviews". Forbes. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  48. "Axel Springer and Purplebricks make further investments in Homeday". Property Industry Eye. UK. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  49. "Inside the Purplebricks sweatshop: former agent accuses it of toxic culture". afr.com. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  50. "Fall-out in Australia reaches UK shores as ex-Purplebricks agent accuses it of failure". propertyindustryeye.com. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  51. "Leaked data from Purplebricks in Oz suggests it was 70% off target in June". thenegotiator.co.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  52. "Purplebricks shares plummet on lower revenue forecast". Reuters. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  53. "Purplebricks to quit Australia". Australian Financial Review. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  54. 1 2 Clarence-Smith, Louisa. "Purplebricks shuts down cash-hungry American business". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  55. "Purplebricks to quit Australia". Australian Financial Review. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  56. "Estate agent Purplebricks reports record-breaking July instructions". CityAM. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  57. "Purplebricks Annual Report 2020 web" (PDF).
  58. "Purplebricks' instructions fall by 23% year-on-year". Property Industry Eye. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  59. GmbH, finanzen net. "Desjardins Group acquires a real estate holding, including DuProprio, from Purplebricks Group plc for CAN$60.5M | Markets Insider". markets.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  60. "Desjardins acquires two real-estate brands from U.K.-based firm - BNN Bloomberg". BNN. The Canadian Press. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  61. "U.K.-based real estate brokerage firm Purplebricks pulls out of Canada, sells operations to Desjardins" . Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  62. Metcalf, Sam (3 August 2021). "'Resilient' Purplebricks ready to focus on UK". TheBusinessDesk.com. UK. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  63. Metcalf, Sam (7 August 2021). "Purplebricks CEO focused on building share in UK through better customer experience". Proactive. UK. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  64. Ralph, Alex. "Purplebricks delays results over £9m compensation risk" via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  65. Sweney, Mark (17 May 2023). "Online estate agent Purplebricks sold for £1, risking 750 jobs". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  66. Da Silva, Marc (16 December 2020). "Purplebricks shares surge as buyers shift to technology-led platforms". Property Industry Eye. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  67. 1 2 "About Purplebricks Group PLC". Reuters. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  68. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Casserly, Martyn (3 December 2020). "Best UK online estate agents 2020". Tech Advisor. IDG Communications Ltd. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  69. 1 2 "What, exactly, is Purplebricks, Mr Bruce?". The Negotiator. UK: Propertydrum Ltd. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  70. "Michael Bruce: The entrepreneur behind Purplebricks who's shaking the foundations of estate agency". Evening Standard. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2021. Their bet was that sellers looking for online help flogging their home would be won over by the site's natty technology, plus local property experts on the ground, getting rid of the costly bricks and mortar overheads to slash fees for sellers.
  71. 1 2 3 4 5 Baum, Andrew (April 2017). "PropTech 3.0: the future of real estate" (PDF). University of Oxford Research: 57–58.
  72. Norwood, Graham (11 September 2019). "Purplebricks spends £382 per instruction on marketing alone". Estate Agent Today. UK. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  73. Lewis, Nigel (6 August 2019). "Purplebricks ditches 'commisery' in favour of less aggressive TV adverts". The Negotiator. UK: Propertydrum Ltd. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  74. Norwood, Graham (17 January 2017). "Purplebricks recruits TV property star for 'Commisery' campaign". Estate Agent Today. UK. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  75. 1 2 Renshaw, Rosalind (6 July 2018). "Purplebricks commisery campaign could prove a winner for advertising agency". Property Industry Eye. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  76. Oakes, Omar (10 October 2018). "BBH and Audi win IPA Effectiveness Grand Prix". Campaign. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  77. "2018 IPA Effectiveness Awards: Insights from the winning campaigns". UK: Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. Retrieved 25 May 2021 via Scribd.
  78. 1 2 Lewis, Nigel (15 April 2019). "Purplebricks now a 'superbrand' alongside Rightmove and best-known agents". The Negotiator. UK. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  79. "Superbrands Annual 2019" (PDF). The Centre for Brand Analysis. UK. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  80. Stewart, Rebecca (12 February 2020). "Purplebricks CEO on using less 'commisery' and more data to boost its brand creds". The Drum. Retrieved 25 May 2021. Purplebricks joined Netflix, Apple and Amazon on the Superbrand index last year, a sure sign it's gaining relevance as a household name.
  81. Renshaw, Rosalind (15 December 2020). "Purplebricks smashes profit forecasts after surge of new customers". Proactive Investors. UK. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  82. 1 2 3 Lewis, Nigel (14 May 2021). "Purplebricks lands major Corrie product placement coup". The Negotiator. UK: Propertydrum Ltd. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  83. 1 2 3 Da Silva, Marc (14 May 2021). "Purplebricks instructed to sell Coronation Street's iconic Rovers Return". Property Industry Eye. UK. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  84. "ITV takes stake in online estate agent Purplebricks". www.ft.com. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  85. "Morning Live - Series 6: 18/06/2024". BBC iPlayer. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  86. Lewis, Nigel (19 June 2024). "Purplebricks service heavily criticised during BBC investigation". The Negotiator. Retrieved 10 July 2024.