EweMove

About EweMove

EweMove is a successful and growing franchise helping people to find the right purchaser or tenant for their property. The company now has 126 branches across the UK and its goal is to have an EweMove branch in every major town and city.

Every landlord or house seller knows that a key factor with any property is finding the right property partner, and EweMove is one of the most trusted, with a Trustpilot rating of 9.9 out of 10 based on thousands of customer reviews. This has been achieved in only a few years of being set up.

EweMove describes itself as the UK’s first ‘hybrid’ estate agent, mixing the best of the traditional estate agents with an innovative approach to technology which it has combined to create an unparalleled level of service. The ewemove.com website is optimised to attract and convert leads, and has won numerous awards over the past few years.

EweMove is an ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) licensed agent and a member of SAFEagent. In an independent franchise survey carried out by Smith-Henderson, EweMove was the first estate agency franchise to achieve a five-star rating and 98 per cent of its franchisees would recommend others to buy a franchise.

In 2014 EweMove won silver in the category of Best Newcomer at the Estate Agency of the Year Awards in association with The Times and The Sunday Times. Two years later it walked away from the 2016 event with four awards, including gold for Best Franchise Network and Best Website, and silver for Best Innovation and Best Estate Agency to Work For.

What is the history of the EweMove franchise?

The National Property Group was founded in 2010, set up by a group of five landlords with experience of owning over 400 residential properties across the UK. Quickly gaining experience in all aspects of letting and sales, the National Property Group’s NPG Lettings Ltd. was rebranded as EweMove in May 2013.

Within a year EweMove had 40 franchisees, almost none of whom had any previous lettings or sales experience, and, 18 months after launching their pilot franchise, it was given the highest recognition by the National Entrepreneur Awards when founders Glenn Ackroyd and David Laycock were jointly named Entrepreneur of the Year.

The EweMove franchise offers guarantees of service that many estate agents do not, and the business and online live chat service is available 24/7. With up to half of chat enquiries coming outside of normal office hours, this allows EweMove to pick up business while their competitors are closed for the evening.

In September 2016, EweMove was bought by Martin & Co., a part of the Property Franchise Group (PSG) which already owned Whitegates, Ellis & Co., CJ Hole and Parkers Estate Agents. The deal, worth £15m, has allowed EweMove’s more advanced technology to be rolled out across the whole of the Martin & Co. group.

Co-founders Glenn Ackroyd and David Laycock left, and a new Managing Director, Nick Neill, took up the post of ‘head shepherd’ in June 2017. Neill, one of the earliest franchisees to partner EweMove with his office in York, was tasked with focusing on recruiting experienced estate agents as franchisees.

Limited Property Partnerships, introduced in April 2018, also allows estate agents with over three years’ experience to join on a self-employed basis without a large financial outlay.

At the same time, Neill set up various training programmes aimed at improving the business models of all the company’s franchise partners.

How does the EweMove franchise model work?

The EweMove franchise delivers a dedicated, high-quality service to landlords, vendors and buyers, with the franchisee providing valuations, photographing and providing material to successfully market properties, whether for sale or let. The EweMove business has a transparent fee structure, no up-front fees and a “no sale, no fee” policy, which makes the company an attractive option for sellers and letters.

Most office support is undertaken by EweMove, which has pooled years of knowledge to create easy-to-implement resources for its franchisees. EweMove has an operating platform and call centre staff, who can take calls and book appointments 24/7. By centralising purchasing and advertising (through websites like Rightmove and Zoopla), many day-to-day operating expenses can be reduced.

How much does an EweMove franchise cost?

A fixed franchise licence fee of £1,250 per month is payable after the first six months of business. The franchise fee secures a territory averaging 20,000 households, and EweMove requires a franchisee to have at least £20,000 to £25,000 in working capital in their first year, chiefly for marketing. This is based on the relatively low overheads of having no office to run, saving on rent and rates, and not having staff wages to pay.

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Is it possible to get financing for an EweMove franchise?

The EweMove franchisee will find that an established franchise business can make obtaining finance easier than setting up on one’s own. Banks are often willing to lend between 50 per cent and 70 per cent of a franchisee’s costs, depending on their financial history.

What kind of profits can you make by running an EweMove franchise?

EweMove claims that there is potential for incredibly high profits from an EweMove franchise. With low overheads and by charging premium fees, the company boasts that its top performers are generating sales well in excess of £100,000 per annum.

However, a slow market may mean that a brand new EweMove franchise will not see any immediate rewards as it can take up to six months before a business starts generating revenue. To counter this, EweMove has been paying its franchisees £250 for each new listing, which is repayable when the property sells.

What support and training does EweMove offer?

The EweMove franchise journey begins with the information pack, which tells you everything you will need to know to understand the potential financial and lifestyle benefits of becoming a franchisee. Each franchisee works in a specific area, and you will need to check to see if your preferred territory is still available.

The next step is to book a place at one of the company’s Discovery Presentations, where you will find out more about the firm and whether you are a suitable candidate to become a franchise partner.

Successful candidates will be invited to follow-up meetings at EweMove’s Cleckheaton HQ, known as The Sheep Pen, where you can meet and talk to existing franchisees from all walks of life.

Before taking on a franchise, EweMove will provide all the training you need and encourages franchisees to attend as many different training courses as possible. The training begins with a one-week induction course at EweMove’s headquarters followed by 10 one-day ‘success summits’. These are run by the EweMove leadership team and special guests as well as successful franchisees who can share tips for best practices.

This is followed by ongoing training via bi-weekly live video webinars and a growing library of Ewe-Tube ‘how-to’ videos. There are an additional 40 one-day business training courses undertaken at a national training academy based in the Midlands.

EweMove provides a dedicated private discussion forum and an office hour telephone support team, as well as one-to-one sessions with a dedicated Business Development Manager and regular financial reviews.

Marketing material, sales scripts and every other useful resource needed to grow a business are available to the EweMove franchisee.

What is EweMove looking for in a franchisee?

At one time, under Glenn Ackroyd and David Laycock, EweMove attracted and partnered many franchisees with no previous experience – an estimated 95 per cent had never worked in the sale or lettings business. This decision was reversed in 2017 when new owners the Property Franchise Group began offering deep discounts for experienced estate agents.
EweMove have said that, in future, its aim is that half to three-quarters of franchisees accepted will have experience.

Are there currently any existing EweMove franchises for sale?

As with any franchise, some franchisees may prefer to take over an already established business rather than begin a new one, avoiding the costs associated with setting up. To find an EweMove franchise for resale in your area, you can contact EweMove’s franchise team for up-to-the-minute details.

How in-demand are EweMove franchises right now?

The Property Franchise Group announced an impressive jump in profits for EweMove and its other brands in the first half of 2018, with revenues increased by 11 per cent over the same period in 2017.

Management service fees increased by 15 per cent, indicating that there were plenty of customers looking to take advantage of EweMove’s expert advice on renting properties.

The number of landlords had grown to 2.5m by 2016, an increase of 25 per cent in five years.

Lettings are expected to grow in the future, especially among under-35s, with 46 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds living in rented accommodation in 2016-17, up from 27 per cent a decade earlier.

How do I start setting up my own EweMove franchise?

The first big step to taking on an EweMove franchise is to attend one of the company’s Discovery Presentations. To find out more, or to request further information on franchising with EweMove, click on the ‘Send Enquiry’ button now.