New Zoopla deal backs ambitious growth plans of agency group

Zoopla has issued a statement saying it’s entering into a long-term partnership with the Leacders Romans Group, which will be “curated to support LRG’s ambitious growth plans.”

LRG made a substantial number of acquisitions in 2020 and as recently as last month announced it had acquired Guardian Residential Lettings and EuroLet, two agencies in the south east of England. 

As part of the deal with the portal, LRG will become Zoopla’s latest Innovation Partner, meaning its 175 branches will benefit from early access to a pipeline of new products and software. 

Zoopla has also revealed the formation of a Lettings Advisory Board, to be chaired by Michael Cook, national lettings managing director at LRG. 

The board, will be comprised of specially invited agents from Zoopla’s customers, will work alongside the portal company as it - in its own words - “drives towards its strategy to create a complementary ecosystem of products and services that drive ever-increasing revenue and performance for agent and housebuilder partners.” 

Charlie Bryant, chief executive of Zoopla, says: “As one of the leading agents in the UK, we’re delighted to welcome Leaders Romans Group on board as an Innovation Partner. Like Zoopla, LRG has ambitious plans for 2021, underlined by its recent acquisitions and growth across the UK. 

“Putting agents at the core of our business is central to our strategy and with our expert Innovation Partners embarking on the journey with us, we can ensure that we’re building the right products and tools for our customers.” 

Commenting on the partnership, LRG chief executive Peter Kavanagh says: “Property is a service industry and our customers will always have the biggest role to play in shaping the sector, but it’s clear that PropTech is key to its transformation for the future. Innovation is extremely important and this partnership will help ensure that the right tools are being used to support customers.”