Hybrid agency claims to have ‘solved industry’s staff shortage’

EweMove - the hybrid brand owned by The Property Franchise Group - says its operating model effectively solves a reported staff shortage in the industry.

Earlier this week we reported a claim by Rayner Personnel of a shortage of agents as a result of some moving elsewhere for higher salaries.

EweMove managing director Nick Neill says: “Traditionally, you need several people to set up an agency successfully. In addition, you need support with accounts, marketing, compliance, training, and many other aspects. And to keep it running, you need to ensure you have the right people in the right places.

“Our model removes that reliance on staff, especially when starting out. That’s because we provide all the marketing expertise, financial nous, compliance experience, and business generating know-how as part of our package.

“This has helped many of our franchisees grow their businesses without incurring larger employment fees and experiencing the recruitment headaches many in our industry are currently facing.” 

He says the current staff shortages mean building a team of reliable agents has proven harder than usual, but several of his current franchisees have moved their previously independent agency under the EweMove umbrella to exploit centralised staff and resources. 

Neill cites one franchisee - Paul Bottomley, who owns the Cleckheaton territory - who says: “My previous agency profit margin was 20 per cent. When I moved over to EweMove, that increased to 45 per cent. And you don’t need a huge amount of transactions to earn good money.”