Following rumours of developments at online agent eMoov, founder Russell Quirk has confirmed that two of his top people have been “asked to leave the business”.
One is Stephen Jury, the director of media and communications at eMoov, for whom Jury successfully achieved an extraordinary level of media coverage.
The other is Tariq Dag Khan, chief marketing officer.
Today Quirk told EYE: “I asked Stephen Jury and Tariq Dag Khan, formerly two of eMoov’s marketing management team, to leave the business this week.
“We’re a rapidly growing business with 130% year on year growth already in 2016 and, inevitably, there will be changes to our infrastructure as our needs change and grow.
“A number of our competitors seem to be going through similar transitions with both Purplebricks and easyProperty changing senior marketing management in recent months.
“It’s all part of an agile and ambitious approach to succeeding in this space.”
It is not known whether either Jury or Khan have actually left the business, or on what terms and arrangements.
However, we did ask Quirk about the importance of Jury’s role so far.
Quirk replied: “Stephen was responsible for one part of our marketing function and within which there are seven other roles overseeing separate channels.
“As the bulk of eMoov’s PR creative ideas come from me, I will continue to head up that important aspect ongoing.”
With all these high-powered staff dropping like flies, they could start a legitimate business of their own by June!
What did they all do wrong?
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Sounds like they treat their staff like their clients…..with little regard
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May I be the first to offer Stephen my heartiest congratulations on his release?
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“We’re a rapidly growing business with 130% year on year growth already in 2016″…but we’re going to sack our 2 top marketing bods! So is 130% growth seen as under-performing…or does Mr Quirk not make the connection between successful growth and the endeavours of his marketing team?
“A number of our competitors seem to be going through similar transitions with both Purplebricks and easyProperty changing senior marketing management in recent months.” If true, presumably this is because none of these businesses have yet gained the traction expected by their investors…why else would you replace your marketing team…musical differences?
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So, one of the property industry’s most effective PR communicators and has been ‘asked to leave’. Either a monumental mistake by eMoov or, a much larger back story which will, no doubt, unfold in time. Whatever is the case, I wish Stephen all the very best.
As for 130% growth?… getagent.co.uk shows eMoovs instruction numbers are 18% DOWN on 6 months ago and around 30% shy YTD on where they stated they would be to investors on their crowd funding pitch. Still, accuracy in figures have never been eMoovs strong point
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How could you possibly be so rude about such a strong upstanding company as eMoooo! Anyone might think you to be a sensible skeptic.
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Never a good thing to hear, I wish them both well.
At least now you can both work for a company that is likely to go somewhere
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Have they finally ran out of all that money?
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Good afternoon Russell, time for some more crowd funding? What yarn are you going to spin them this time?
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There are lots of Online Agents – no of whom have made a profit – and they have seen Purple Bricks float –
Purple Bricks grabbed the story of ‘we’re the future’, meaning that funding ‘the dream’ gets harder.
Every day, cash gets burned…
If you can’t do another funding round, or float, or get bought…Eventually, there’s nothing left.
That’s what happens if you create a business not based on making a profit.
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Never nice to hear people being “Asked to leave”
Be interesting to hear why …. Maybe a Bob Scarf type piece in coming weeks, Be a shame if they signed a NDA.
Guessing the crowd funding is running out and belts are having to be tightened at Emoove towers! – Whats next the water dispensers being sent back?
Or is it a possible merger with a certain Countrywide chain of estate agents and this was part the deal?
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There’s gratitude for you.
I have sparred with Mr Jury since Day 1, over virtually every column inch he has produced for the outfit – which now must run into miles.
He’s has his work cut out to put any lipstick whatsoever on the relevant domestic variant of the Suidae family of mammals – but has managed as well as anyone I can think of… and way better than most.
I wouldn’t have wanted – or taken, for that matter – his job for a fortune.
Now I wish him every success with his next venture – and a far easier ride than he has been given – and taken – with good humour and a determination to come out winning.
THAT was never going to happen – but not by any fault on his part. He had the impossible job.
YOUR LOSS, Mr Quirk.
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It reminds me a bit of the situation with Chillini and Leeds Utd FC. It’s easy to scapegoat and shout “off with their head” (not that I’m suggesting Chillini has his managers decapitated) every time something doesn’t go as you would like it…but at some point you have to take a look in the mirror and ask yourself ‘what do I bring to the table here’? Or…am I the reason we’re failing? So Mr Quirk…are you?
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That’s a bit harsh Rivero. As a life long Leeds fan Ive had some stick but reading we are now being compared to emoov is a new low even for us.
And its Cellino. Chillini is what we say on a cold morning up here.
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My view, Tariq and Stephen were a luxury I personally don’t think this business could afford for the normal day to day running of an agency that is volume reliant and which would struggle to cover normal operating costs from a fee structure that equates to about 0.18% plus vat, (about 15% of a normal agency).
I never did understand the episode1 investment in the firm, even less the crowd funding. With nothing in the way of innovation, credibility or notable successes, with an indication of fairly heavy borrowing disclosed in the crowd funding pitch and general sales market volumes leaping like lemmings off a cliff I’m very glad it’s not my business (reputation or ego)
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Sorry for Tariq and Stephen, But look on the bright side you chaps could try and get jobs with normal profit making estate agents.
#senior negotiator ?
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PP – these people AREN’T Estate Agents.
They are REAL people who got mixed up in an UNREAL world they don’t understand – but the sad fact is that they never had to understand it.
They are ‘Marketeers’. They are experts at what they do – which in this case was putting lipstick on a pig while juggling jelly.
I don’t believe Mr Khan wasn’t there long enough to make an impact – but has quite a CV.
Stephen Jury, on the other hand, has slugged it out for an awful long time with many of us – and given us a darn good fight back! He certainly won my respect over the last year or so – and I am pleased to have had the opportunity of sparring with the man, and wish him well in whatever he chooses to do next.
IF it is to stay in the world of Agency – he simply needs to choose his next employer with more care.
He knows where I am if he wants a reference – but he won’t need one I’m absolutely certain!
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Give them some credit Peebee, they managed to convince friends family and staff, otherwise intelligent investors and mainstream press that is was possible to disrupt a service industry that has always and will always be based on trust, honesty and integrity with a 5 hours of much cheapness.
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going to be a big reality wake up when one of the ‘big’ online agents finally does a belly flop into the channel. if your not making a profit then you are living on borrowed time.
To then turn that low fee into profit destroys the whole purpose of their business. It not going to be repeat buyers/sellers its pretty much new people each time who all want a cut price sale fee which in turn does not make a profit for the onlines agents.
I think you will see a big splash down in the Autumn of this year. The spray will hopefully wake up the other ‘investors’ in the other firms that they too are likely to be heading for a belly flop as well.
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You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
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And who’s the more foolish? The fool or the man who follows the fool?
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