Purplebricks to exit Australian market

Online real estate agent Purplebricks says it is quitting the Australian market, two and a half years after entering it.

Online real estate agent Purplebricks is quitting the Australian market, two and half years after entering it with a promise to shake things up.

The UK fixed-fee company also said founder Michael Bruce would step down as chief executive immediately and it would review its US business.

The company said it would remain committed to its current Australian customers but would not accept new business.

"During the two and a half years that Purplebricks has been operating in Australia, market conditions have become increasingly challenging.

"This, combined with some execution errors, has resulted in the business not delivering the progress the Board expected," the company said in a trading update.

"With hindsight, our rate of geographic expansion was too rapid and as a result the quality of execution has suffered," chairman Paul Pindar said, as he apologised to shareholders for disappointing performance over the last year.

A challenging market in Britain caught up to it and the company was forced to issue a revenue warning in February.

Purplebricks saw its stock slumping more than 64 per cent last year and nearly 9 per cent so far this year.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world