A franchise-based sales and lettings business has opened five new branches.
The latest additions, in Woodford, Cheltenham, Wakefield, Chelmsford and Sandiacre, take EweMove’s tally to 62 franchise branches.
EweMove operates as a number of franchise branches across the country. A central ‘sheep pen’ which undertakes most of the normal letting agency administration, allows the local franchisees to focus on customer service.
The central ‘sheep pen’, coupled with the fact the most of the franchisees work from home, cuts overhead costs.
EweMove, based in Halifax, tempts franchisees by saying they can build a £1m business and achieve more than £100,000 net profit a year.
Almost none of its franchisees have any previous sales or lettings experience, but when a new franchisee starts their business, a development team offers an intensive induction course, followed by in-field training with an experienced franchisee.
Glenn Ackroyd, self-styled head shepherd of EweMove, said: “We are delighted to open up these branches and have such a great bunch of new franchisees on board. Everyone in the EweMove family wishes them every success.
“The franchisee support network is firmly in place and we are able to advise our new lambs every step of the way. Whilst we launched our franchise model in 2013, the team behind EweMove have been in the industry since 2005, so we know what it takes to build a successful business.”
EweMove franchisees pay per size of territory. The price includes training, IT systems, centralised accounting and reception services, membership of Rightmove and Zoopla, and a starter pack including boards – which depict bright green sheep.
Comments (37)
Hi Paul
At this point I can’t help thinking if there’s a touch of “sour grapes” here.
How’s your franchising operation going – have you moved forward from the lone soldier you launched with in a blaze of publicity on this site some time ago. I don’t see much action locally!!
Mr Ackroyd – how many ‘lambs’ have been slaughtered since your franchise operation commenced?
By that – I mean how many franchisees have tried and given up – for whatever reason?
What i find interesting is each “Office” does not have its own RM account. Seems a little unfair to me considering RM make me pay for a license for every office i have.
“But the real wonga comes from the big fat commissions they get from selling houses.
By selling only one house (average house price £250,000) and taking on just one rental property (at an average rent of £800) each week, you’ll generate an average monthly net profit of £27,332…”
Jeez – I can’t cope with all these animals. Sheep… white elephants… lame ducks… flying pigs…
The industry’s becoming a chuffin’ menagerie!
Don’t hate – DEBate.
Or isn’t that your strong point?
??? where have these figures come from? The profit margin mentioned above is 10% of turnover 12 X £27332= £328k profit X10 = £3.28 million turnover.
52 sales at £250,000 = £13,000,000 x 1.3% commission= £169,000 commission turnover.
I am struggling to see how letting 52 properties @ £800pcm is going to generate £3.111 million turnover to generate the average profit you mention Peebee. have you got your numbers right?
My experience of fees across the industry suggests a business doing that level of business (52 sales 52 lettings) would be turning over about £220,000 so £22,000 profit, which equals £1833.33 average profit per month.
Perhaps I am having a funny but you have me puzzled.
Sorry, re-reading my post back I now notice the “” I am not sure where you found that but now doubt a veracious internet search will reveal all.
I really am thick! ‘no doubt’
I’m certain that your rummage4 the info will have been successful, Robert – how do you think I found it in the first place! – but for those who wonder where the info can be found, try the franchiseinfo.co.uk website.
Here’s what I can’t figure – above the previous quote I pasted, the pitch states:
“By selling only one house at £200,000 with a 1.5% commission, you’d earn £3,000 gross income. The average estate agent in the UK sells 9 houses per month… You can do the maths! And that’s before you even consider income from renting out houses!”
SO… 9 x £3000, plus 4 x £800 (assuming 1 months’ rent as a Basic Letting Fee) = £30,200 GROSS INCOME – yet the later statement for only FOUR SALES a month offers over £27,000 NETT PROFIT.
Talk me through that, someone…
Secondly, 9 x 12 x say 15000 (guess) = 1,620,000. That’s pretty much DOUBLE the number of transactions, innit?
EVERYONE DUCK!! – another squadron of those pesky flying porkchops-in-the-making zooming overhead at warp speed…
DUCK? Blimey – there’s no room in the room for real people any more…
Definitely go after the vulnerable/gullible dreamers tempted by the big numbers. Check out company check to see no one is hitting the big numbers. Also, be careful what you say, Glen will hunt you down. Check out their Facebook video post where Glen stalks and attacks a fellow agent who had a pop.
Sorry – duplicate post.
Franchisees starting out are not going to be generating £100k in year 1, our model makes it clear that the first year is going to be hardly profitable due to the cash-flow lag between sales sign ups and completions. And of course some are more successful than others. These 3 franchisees are into their second year and regularly bringing in over £10k a month – http://www.ewemove.com/property-estate-agency-franchise/earning-potential/
Of course lots of franchisees will be earning £5k a month.
The fact is that when anybody applies for a franchise, they get to speak to existing franchisees OF THEIR CHOOSING before they join to find out the facts from the horses mouth.
Just a silly question, Mr Ackroyd – on your website you proudly state “That’s why we’ve attracted a former Finance Director and Senior Managers from Barclays, Standard Chartered and Coca-Cola to join EweMove.”
I just wondered if these people are still with ewe?
Yes, they are all still with us. I’ll email you privately so you can speak to them if you wish to confirm.
No thank you – I’ll take your word for it.
“…they get to speak to existing franchisees OF THEIR CHOOSING before they join to find out the facts from the horses mouth.”
HORSE? Jeez – YET ANOTHER animal for the menagerie!
I remember when PEOPLE sold property.
You should change your company name to ZOOmove.
Hmmm… hang on – don’t. I might just set up a franchise in that name myself – with a little help from my friends.
Peter… Theo… are you in?
Definitely go after the vulnerable/gullible dreamers tempted by the big numbers. Check out company check to see no one is hitting the big numbers.
Also, be careful what you say, Glen will hunt you down. Check out their Facebook video post where Glen stalks and attacks a fellow agent who had a pop.
In fairness, the agent made a very poor comment and had the good grace to apologise.
He made a comment online and I replied online. Online comments are great for debate, but debate does necessitate the right to respond, I’m sure you’ll agree.
“Almost none of its franchisees have any previous sales or lettings experience, but when a new franchisee starts their business, a development team offers an intensive induction course, followed by in-field training with an experienced franchisee.”
Who, by returning to the start of the sentence, has had only the limited industry experience gained since their own franchise started – a few months, maybe?
Sounds like a winner.
To be fair though PeeBee, it is an intensive one week training course!
On the bright side a few more spare bedrooms are being utilised!
“EweMove, based in Halifax, tempts franchisees by saying they can build a £1m business and achieve more than £100,000 net profit a year”
Bold claims! – i know how hard it is to run a successful high street agency and turn a NET profit of £100,000 and thats with all the trimmings not from my bedroom.
Sounds a little like pyramid selling …..
I suspect most of them will have trouble providing accurate valuations on the houses they see let alone trying to flog pyramids!
Our agents do a brilliant job. In fact, we have a score of 9.8 and are rated as ‘Excellent’, which is the joint highest score on Trust Pilot for Estate Agents. Check out our reviews.
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/ewemove.com
The only opinion that counts is that of the customer.
Now, you may dismiss the 228 reviews. But good businesses are the ones that pay heed to their customers and don’t focus their energy on knocking the competition.
Hmmm…
A MILLION QUID turnover, run from a bedroom/study/whatever; minimal staff costs – and ONLY TEN PERCENT PROFIT?
That’s ‘franchise’ fees for you! ;o)
Hi Paul,
Firstly, I’ve checked the press release, and this statement was not made “EweMove, based in Halifax, tempts franchisees by saying they can build a £1m business and achieve more than £100,000 net profit a year.”
So I’m not sure why it’s been added to the article.
But to be clear – we do not claim to generate a million pound turnover.
The press release content that we supplied to Property Industry Eye is below:
The quirkily branded and rapidly growing sales and letting agent EweMove continues to expand its flock as a new franchisees open their doors to customers with new branches in Woodford, Cheltenham, Wakefield, Chelmsford and Stapleford and Sandiacre.
Since re-branding and launching as a franchise in 2013, EweMove has overseen phenomenal growth.
The latest additions take their tally to 62 branches, with a growing pipeline of new franchisees already signed up to launch from September through to the beginning of 2016.
Glenn Ackroyd, Head Shepherd of EweMove, adds; “We are delighted to open up these branches and have such a great bunch of new franchisees on board. Everyone in the EweMove family wishes them every success.”
“The franchisee support network is firmly in place and we are able to advise our new lambs every step of the way. Whilst we launched our franchise model in 2013, the team behind EweMove have been in the industry since 2005, so we know what it takes to build a successful business.”
What makes EweMove different to conventional estate agency franchises is the Central ‘Sheep Pen’ that undertakes most of the normal letting agency administration. This allows franchisees to focus on what they are good at, which is providing first class, local personal customer service. Not only that, by stripping away the staffing costs associated with a typical high street agent, EweMove franchisees are better positioned to enjoy higher profits from a highly efficient, low cost operating model.
A dedicated franchisee development team is on hand from the moment a new franchisee comes on board, with an intensive induction course at the company’s headquarters in West Yorkshire, followed by ‘in the field’ training with an experienced franchisee. All training and support, from courses, webinars and master classes to regional meetings and online training is free.
Mark Baker (Stapleford and Sandiacre Franchisee) adds; “I had done plenty of research into franchising and saw EweMove as the perfect opportunity to become my own boss, along with significant earnings. Thanks to their award winning ‘Ewereka’ system, all EweMove’s franchisees benefit from a highly automated property management solution. So, from day one, I knew I would not be saddled with the debt burden of an office and the cost and headache of managing staff.”
The company has picked up a number of awards including the 2014 Silver Times/Sunday Times Prize for Best Estate Agency Newcomer.
EweMove’s York franchisee, Nick Neill, comments; “I have built a thriving business from scratch, which I could not have done as quickly or as effectively without the support of the EweMove franchise model. I love being part of the EweMove ‘flock’ as I can run my business the way I want to, make my own decisions but still have the top quality support of central Sheep Pen. They are always innovative in their approach and in supporting and developing my sales strategies. This has meant that I did not have to wait long to see a return on my investment. In fact, in one week alone during my first year, I banked more money than the cost of the initial franchise.”
For further information on becoming a EweMove franchisee please contact Hannah Pepper (Shepherdess) on 01422 400700 or visit http://www.ewemove.com
Hi Smile,
http://www.ewemove.com/property-estate-agency-franchise/earning-potential/
The franchisees tell you what they earn in these videos.
The difference between our model and the typical agent is that provide all the back office support.
So on the franchisees behalf we cover:
– Portal fees to Rightmove/Zoopla/Gumtree
– We take booking calls from buyers/tenants
– We provide their property management software and do their invoicing/landlord accounts
– We do their PPC, Direct Mail and Bulk Mail leaflet for them (they pay for the fulfilment)
– We deal with the management of lets, eg repair calls, arrears chasing, setting up AST’s, gas checks, paying landlords and contractors etc etc
So our franchisees don’t need and office, staff or portal costs.
So Smile, if you strip these expense lines out of your P & L, how does you NET profit look now?
To do a million pound turnover you will need to complete on approximately 333 properties in a year. Assuming £3000 fee on average. which i think a franchise would be hard pushed to achieve.
Your figures are optimistic at best.
The million pound turnover was never claimed or added to the story by us.
So I can fully understand the confusion.
The “million pound turnover” referred to in the article goes back to previous articles from well over a year ago, Mr Ackroyd.
Have a rummage4 them – you’ll be surprised – or some might think embarrassed – at what comes out of the woodwork from previous ankle chewings…
You may take charge of those costs but you also charge a franchise fee which is not to be forgotten!
Large lump sum up front and ongoing fees.
We don’t take a % of turnover. Only a license fee – which we don’t charge in year 1. So we’re very happy with our model. In a recent Smith Henderson franchise survey, 98% of our franchisees would recommend others to buy a franchise. So we’re happy with what we are doing.
I am sure you are Glenn, and 97% of stats are made up or manipulated on the internet according to Abraham Lincoln 2002
Of course they do, they earn from bringing others on board!
Hi Paul,
Our franchise training is conducted by Paul Sheard, FNAEA, MARLA, with 36 years experience. In the first year our franchisees have access to over 150 days of training in addition to webinars, 1:1 meetings etc.
It’s set out in detail here > http://www.ewemove.com/property-estate-agency-franchise/training-and-support/
Whilst people do question training of ‘new’ franchisees, I’ve often asked for examples of more comprehensive training. How does that compare to Dacre Son & Hartley?
Come on, ‘Paul’ – whoever you are – the man’s waiting for an answer!