Purplebricks' Kenny Bruce returns to estate agency

Purplebricks co-founder Kenny Bruce has returned to the estate agency world.

Bruce, who helped launch Purplebricks with his brother Michael as well as collapsed-portal Boomin, has been named as a senior non-executive director on the board of self-employed hybrid brand The Agency UK (TAUK).

He had previously left Purplebricks in 2019 and while helping launch Boomin, which closed last year, he mainly took a backseat in the running of the business.

Bruce has been joined on the TAUK board by another high-profile agency figure, Harry Hill, former chief executive of Countrywide and the first chairman of Rightmove.

It comes as TAUK revealed it has completed an oversubscribed funding round that will boost its growth plans.

Bruce will be reunited with former Purplebricks head of customer support and US boss Steph Walker, who is now chief sales officer at TAUK.

She said: “After the incredible work of the founding team and especially, our founding agents, we have built incredibly robust foundations which have attracted this investment. 

“This influx of capital empowers us to further support and nurture our partner agents, enabling them to achieve unparalleled success and productivity. It will bolster our digital marketing efforts to complement agents' activities in the field, attract top talent across the UK, and most excitingly, launch our highly anticipated estate agency director team model in key metropolitan markets." 

TAUK said it is also planning a new Downstream Capital Offering, designed to empower new and existing agents within the TAUK network to cultivate substantial long-term value within their own businesses. 

Mark Bruce, founder of the business, added, "Our intention was always to offer a premium suite of services to ensure the success of each estate agent joining us to build their businesses. This significant investment of capital, with the endorsement of Harry and Kenny, shows we have one of the best solutions for estate agents considering the self-employed route. 

“We are now poised to increase our partner agent headcount across the UK and look forward to talking with agents about how our support, lead generation and tools will give them a unique edge in the marketplace.”

As their recruitment drive begins and the brand approaches 100 partner agents, Andrew Vass, chief executive of TAUK, added: "Today marks an exhilarating chapter for TAUK and all involved. Our rapid growth trajectory is now fortified, providing our agents diversified revenue streams, significant lead generation and tremendous earning potential."