asserta holdings limited (‘asserta’), operators of assertahome.com, the UK’s largest independent property portal and propertyfinder.co.uk, the website for premier property, announce a near-doubling of revenues for 2002 to £2m and changes within its shareholder base.
asserta holdings limited (‘asserta’), operators of assertahome.com, the UK’s largest independent property portal and propertyfinder.co.uk, the website for premier property, announce a near-doubling of revenues for 2002 to Ł2m and changes within its shareholder base.
As asserta approaches the important milestone of cash breakeven, an Investor Group led by Arts Alliance Digital Ventures III has substantially increased its stake by purchasing part of the shareholding held by NUPFS Limited, a company within the Aviva plc group of companies, the UK’s largest insurer, who will retain a minority stake of approximately 20%. The Investor Group also includes existing shareholder Hamptons International and senior management.
Laurent Laffy, Partner at Arts Alliance Advisors, whose portfolio includes investments in lastminute.com and chateauonline.com, said: “For several years, we have recognised the potential for property portals to deliver excellent value to both estate agents and their customers. Our increased shareholding enables us to participate in the success that we believe asserta will enjoy as the portals continue to gain recognition as a highly cost-effective way for estate agents to promote themselves and service their customers.”
David Lundholm, managing director of asserta holdings Limited, said: ”asserta is profiting from unparalleled interest in the property market with strong customer growth and increasing revenues. While some sectors in the housing markets show signs of cooling, our growing customer base, strong cash position and impending cash breakeven mean we look forward to the future with great confidence. I will be working even more closely with our shareholders to ensure all our customers enjoy the best possible service.”
asserta’s revenues have increased significantly over the past 12 months, following the successful introduction of listing fees for estate agents who use both assertahome.com and propertyfinder.co.uk. This is supported by increased commercial revenues as well as sales of GMW software, which is used by more than 5000 estate agents to manage their property inventory and upload property details to the internet.
Funds advised by Arts Alliance and leading estate agency Hamptons International have had a minority shareholding since August 2001 when asserta holdings acquired propertyfinder.co.uk from them.
About asserta holdings
- asserta holdings Limited is the holding company in the asserta group — the market leader in the online property and estate agency technology market.
- The asserta group comprises:
- assertahome.com - the UK’s most popular property website,
- propertyfinder.co.uk – the place for premier properties,
- GMW - the leading provider of estate agency management software
About assertahome.com
- assertahome.com is the national property portal for independent estate agents. It aims to make moving simpler and less stressful by providing the largest, independent, up-to-date database of properties for sale or rent, invaluable information and advice, and all the essential moving-related services.
- The database is updated regularly by over 2,500 estate agents and contains details on thousands of residential properties. Consumers can search by price and area and print off details of a property they are interested in or send the details to their mobile phone. They can also choose to click through to the estate agent’s own website, e-mail or telephone the agent directly, or even contact a group of agents with one click. assertahome.com will send e-mail or SMS messages to alert users that a new property, meeting specific requirements, has just been added to the database.
- assertahome.com is an essential resource for the moving process. Packed with information and guidance, the site features details of a selection of services including mortgages and insurance, surveys, neighbourhood information and the UK’s first conveyancing supermarket. It partners with the UK’s largest ISP’s BTOpenworld, AOL, and Freeserve, and major portals including Yell and Lycos to provide content for their property channels.
Key statistics
- Estate agents More than 2,500 offices
- User sessions per month 610,000
- Unique users each month 340,000
About propertyfinder.co.uk
- Propertyfinder.co.uk is the place for premier properties. The website is designed for experienced homebuyers and sellers to search from a database of upmarket properties. It has the highest audience of any premium property site according to Nielsen Net Ratings in December 2002.
- Propertyfinder.co.uk has an exclusive audience who are in the process of moving. Customers can search by price and location then choose to e-mail an estate agent directly from the site or click through to the agents own website. 68 per cent of visitors have contacted an estate agent about a property they saw on the website and two thirds of them expect to find their next home on a property portal rather than in the press.
- Propertyfinder.co.uk advertises in the property sections of the broadsheet press and quality magazines as well as having distribution alliances with leading ISPs including BTOpenworld and upmarket news sites such as Telegraph.co.uk and ft.com.
Key statistics
- Estate agents More than 600 offices
- User sessions 350,000 per month
- Unique users 200,000 per month
For further information please contact:
Joanna Burton
PR Manager,
asserta
E-mail: Joanna.burton@asserta.com
T 020 7922 5035
F 020 7922 5041
Adam Valkin,
Arts Alliance
E-mail: adam@artsalliance.co.uk
T 020 7934 4036