Countrywide Share Discussion Threads

[1fox1] 15/3/2017 09:19

Cheers hillofwad. Glad I sold out of these when I did. Hard to see where it's going to end up with the present board in place. Wonder if K Mann still holds? He was ramping this up to high heaven at around 230p. Telling all and sundry what numpties they were for not agreeing with him

[hillofwad] 14/3/2017 09:45

Nufin rong wiv my spegging! Believe it or not it was meant to be demonstrate!!

hxxps://thenegotiator.co.uk/john-d-wood-finishes-gobbling-countrywide-stablemate-faron-sutaria/

Classic example of paying out mega bucks for a brand and then making it disappear

[1fox1] 14/3/2017 09:26

demdisablede... Eh?

[hillofwad] 13/3/2017 17:45

There can be nothing more disheartening for the talented seniors at CWD to know that their path to the top is stymied unless they can demdisablede they operated the till at Woolies !

[hillofwad] 13/3/2017 17:23

Well Tarrant maybe so but apart from Savills (growth mostly organically ) history has shown us that all listed estate agents who have expanded by acquiring mature buinesses have failed think Erinaceous and DTZ and who can forget the disastrous foray by the Pruidential who wrote of millions

The problem is that its a people business and what you are effectively doing id geting the cheque book to give a golden goodbye to senior partners on the basis of past work abig cheque for business unlikley to be repeated Clients come and go Its an entrereneurial game and those that reamining have no equity who are the main fee earners have just seen their career prospects go out of the the window so they plan their departure clients in tow Especially so at CWD where the main BODS are popualated with outsiders

Its the way its always been So borrowing millions to buy turnover which effectively leaves by the back door really isnt going to end up in anything but tears. CWD have fuelled their expansion with bank borrowings with shrinking turnover just at the ewrong time where now there is no possibility of paying it back What sort of strategy is that a very bad one as evidenced by todays share price Now the banks want their money back so they will have to firesale LSH for half the price they paid

[tarrant777] 13/3/2017 16:30

Hullofwad, there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying businesses, or indeed taking debt if it is part of a carefully organised strategy. Indeed for those old enough to remember, Countrywide itself was built from a reasonably small base into the largest and most profitable agency group in the world by a series of large and small acquisitions, some financed by debt.Where the current managed team appear to have become totally confused is an inability (it appears from the outside at least) to have any specific policy, beyond getting rid of legions of people, many of whom, although probably not perfect (who is?) had years, and, in many cases, decades of experience successfully running high street agency and charging premium commission rates to ensure profitability, as well as generating significant follow on opportunities for other group services (mortgages, insurance, surveys, conveyancing etc).A recognisable strategy may yet emerge to surprise many of us, and profits may follow, but one senses in every respect that the business and management are drinking in the last chance saloon.

[hillofwad] 13/3/2017 13:27

The worst thing is Platt carried on writing cheques with borrowed monies buying turn overright up to the time she slammed the car into reverse You can almost hear the cogs shattering So she paid with money she didnt have for businesses afewmontslater she was shedding staff and closing branckes Banks now want their money back You really couldnt make it up share price in freefall today

[tarrant777] 13/3/2017 13:18

If anyone wants to see how to pour tens of millions of pounds of shareholder money down the drain, get hold of the recent results and read the detail. E.G. £8m+ on redundancy payments(largely paying off people who knew what they were doing)!More to come in 2017 apparently as the branch "rationalisation" (for which destruction) program continues.My view is that Cwd in its current form will be very lucky to survive 2017- and as for the board and senior execs.....

[hillofwad] 13/3/2017 08:41

hxxp://www.propertyindustryeye.com/rayhans-proptech-opinion-is-countrywide-really-going-to-go-the-full-purple/#comments

Platt running with the hare but hunting with teh hounds Bearing in mind she is now committed to digital maybe her and her retail chums have flagged up they havent got the skillsets for the job

I cna just imagine someone discussing which service as a branch If I choose the cheaper service will your negotaiters recommend a similar proeprty when they get a better fee

[albanyvillas] 12/3/2017 21:24

Artice 50 wil hammer it

[hillofwad] 09/3/2017 09:47

Surrpised that the share price has held up so well Mor edilusioned agents leaving by droves Company polarised into Doors to Manual Alison's retail buddys and the seasoned property professionals whose bonuses have been capped Road to Nowhere

[tarrant777] 09/3/2017 09:27

Last week, Connells, which is run by experienced property people who know what they are doing announced a further year of growing profits, far higher than this bunch of novices have today produced.Ten years ago, Countrywide was a materially bigger, better and significantly more profitable business than Connells, and the way that the board have overseen the executive team destroy Countrywide's market leading position, whilst at the same time building debt up to almost £250m (which they are now seeking to reduce a little by flogging off another few million shares) is ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL.Personally I can not see why any intelligent investor would now seek to buy or hold these shares as the company appears to be in a terminal downward spiral.

[hillofwad] 09/3/2017 08:04

Windy i hope you are out Indeed Disaster Banks clearly want their money back LSH no chance of being sod unless at a considerable loss All that addutional revenuebought expensively with borrowed monies last year efffectively vanished Lost rather than added value Freefall

[billy two cocks] 09/3/2017 07:50

Should be an interesting day.

Thanks

BTC

[w1ndjammer] 27/2/2017 11:49

steady as she goes, we might get through 200p this time, lovely
bowl starting to form on the chart. Results on the 9th march.

WJ.

[w1ndjammer] 24/2/2017 13:07

PURP m-cap £694 mill lol

incredible lost for words.

WJ.

[hillofwad] 24/2/2017 12:49

Possibly hope you are creaming off when its above 195p could be the last one! Maybe next trading update wont be as bad as expected

[w1ndjammer] 24/2/2017 12:25

Are we teeing up for another shot at breaking 200p

WJ.

[hillofwad] 18/2/2017 08:38

Hope you managed to jettison a few Windy at that level Platt and her BODS are now being referred to as The Slice Girls or The Scissor Siters as the cull continues Apprnetly some of their seasoned property professionals are given A Tufty club badge to wear with "Branch Champion " emblazoned on !

2 more top dogs goneincluding the Marketing Lady only recntly move din Platts announcement full of her usual hackneyed corpoblarney "please cascade annoucemnt down to those appropraite .Visions of wafting paper circulating around the office .Save me

Take a look at this Simon Charnock who is part of the CWD Mormon cult now called the "Leadership Community "

He is Director of Urban Spaces Here is his bullon his Linkedin

"Effective change agent, business leader and corporate value creator. I'm excited by innovation and currently leading a newly created organisation to incubate technology innovations, enable design thinking and test new business models."

You really couldnt make it up What is he a nuclear scientist and "corporate value creator" that realy does take the biscuit the company losing about £500m +in value recently LOL

[hillofwad] 16/2/2017 15:20

Hope you have Windy and sold out another tranche Dont bank on it bouncing back up again mind

[w1ndjammer] 16/2/2017 14:30

i see you got the short on again at 199 hill

best of luck

i have had a great run on these

WJ.

[hillofwad] 15/2/2017 12:26

hxxp://www.propertyindustryeye.com/countrywide-cancels-property-auction-today-and-does-new-deal/

LOL in a desperate attempt to reduce costs as art of their customer 2focused strategy"they are shutting down a whole sales channel -auctions and outsourcing to a third party .You really couldnt make it up.


hxxp://www.propertyindustryeye.com/writing-on-wall-for-at-least-three-big-agents-says-spicerhaart-boss/

[w1ndjammer] 13/2/2017 10:51

3. Full name of person(s) Brandes Investment Partners,
subject to the L.P.
notification obligation:
(iii)
------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------
4. Full name of shareholder(s) Various clients of Brandes
(if different from 3.):(iv) Investment Partners, L.P.
------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------
5. Date of the transaction 9 February, 2017
and date on
which the threshold is
crossed or
reached: (v)
------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------
6. Date on which issuer 10 February, 2017
notified:
------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------
7. Threshold(s) that is/are
crossed or
reached: (vi, vii) 14.00%
------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Total (A+B+C)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of voting rights Percentage of voting rights
-------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------
30,494,807 ORDs 14.10%
-------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------