How Zoopla Helps Rightmove and Did DMGT Get it Wrong?

Over the last month Zoopla has clearly signalled to the market its intent to be a major player in the UK property portal market. It has snapped up Thinkproperty and Propertyfinder to clearly position itself in the top three UK portal businesses behind market leader Rightmove and DMGT’s The Digital Property Group.

In the process there have been some winners and some losers. However, it is Rightmove who is likely to gain the most from this move while questions have to be asked if DMGT truly missed a game changing opportunity.
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Could a Management Buy Out Save Propertyfinder?

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As reported last week, the REA Group and News International are considering closing Propertyfinder, its UK operations. Since then Nick Leeming, the Founder and Major Accounts Director of Propertyfinder, has been reported as saying that the management team, lead by CEO Gillian Kent, are mounting a rear guard action to save the business by putting together a MBO (Management Buy Out) plan.

The clock is now ticking for the Propertyfinder management team as the REA Group stated that the review of the UK operations would last only 40 days.

Assuming a plan can be assembled in time, what is the plan likely to look like and could a revamped Propertyfinder be profitable?

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