Zoopla sets date for next agency numbers announcement as finance chief quits

Zoopla has confirmed that its next date for announcing its agency membership totals - part of its ongoing rivalry with OnTheMarket - will be February 25.

The news came in an announcement to the City that Stephen Morana, chief financial officer at Zoopla Property Group and a pivotal figure in preparing for the portal’s flotation, is leaving the company once a successor is appointed. 

The statement from the company reads: “The Board is pleased with current trading and the Company will publish its next scheduled trading update with the AGM on February 25.”

This follows the announcement earlier this week that “a record number” of agents have recently returned to Zoopla from OnTheMarket, including Whitehornes in south Yorkshire, Coast in Scotland, Hamilton Bowyer in Yorkshire and Pritchards in Bath, as well as London agencies Keller Williams, Salter Rex and Haus Properties.   

ZPG also says it delivered record levels of appraisal leads to its agent members in 2015, up 42 per cent year-on-year. The first two weeks of 2016 has seen the leads generated across ZPG increase a further 25 per cent on the same period last year.

On the departure of Stephen Morana, ZPG founder and chief executive Alex Chesterman says: "Stephen and I have worked closely together for almost three years. During this time he has played an important role as part of our leadership team and has shown huge personal commitment. He helped to prepare the Company for its life as a public company, culminating in our successful IPO in 2014. He has been an outstanding CFO.”

Morana says: “I feel proud to be leaving Zoopla Property Group in such good health, with an outstanding leadership team and a strong strategy to drive future growth."