So what would YOU do with Countrywide?
In this interview with Christopher Watkin, Russell Quirk makes it sound very simple – consolidate the brands, and pay down debt. He thinks it should be a tenth of the size it is.
He is critical of the current management, saying they have their heads in the sand.
He criticises them for closing branches but not telling shareholders – “very, very wrong morally” and “death by a thousand cuts”.
He also accuses Countrywide of being attached to its ego, of being the UK’s largest agency by branches. But, argues Quirk, size doesn’t matter: profit does.
Quirk says he walks past local Countrywide branches and sees someone filing their nails and someone else waiting for the phone to ring.
Comments (19)
Who is this Chris Watkin and why does he think this guy knows anything ? Why not ask some successful senior company figures tht are running successful businesses today how they would sort it out -after all most of posts are critical of the lack of high quality experienced EA management at the top -or are they just too busy ?
Why does PIE give this guy so much coverage. I guess its to wind up agents if there isn’t a good angry at PB or RM story. Quirk is like a bad shock jock on a minor radio station.
…just stay at home Russell, as nobody wants your opinion on anything. It’s obvious from ALL the posts above!
Any normal person after the embarrassment and failure of emoov would lie low for a while… not so Mr Q! Why anyone would consider his advice is beyond me.
What RQ knows about successful estate agency you could write on the back of a stamp. What he knows about running a successful business you could write on a grain of rice! Maybe leave the headphones on Russell, keep the real world out.
do what ever quirk says……………… but in the opposite direction !
And how much smaller is Eemooooov now than it was???????
He’ll be giving advice to Keller Williams’ hierarchy next……..don’t listen, don’t listen, whatever you do, put your hands over your ears……..
The hypocrisy this individual spews is sickening.
Talking about ego, about duty to shareholders, debt, profit warning, ALL of this he was ignoring when at the helm of Emoov.
This is a guy that boasted he got employees and friends and family to invest in his company which then went bust leaving those same employees without pay for work done.
He has now taken a franchise at KW where he will not be listing properties himself but taken a slice from self employed agents.
Shows how bad KW must be doing to want to be associated with this toxic individual.
In my opinion he has no place in our industry.
Russell Quirk giving advice on how to run / sustain / control a business – really? more help for Countrywide to fast-track to the bottom
Priceless
There are times in life when you just need to keep your head below the parapet but not so for Headphones Quirk
As a self -appointed property guru his fall from grace has been played out in the public arena yet still he pops up
In 2015 he boasts
Can he see Countrywide acquiring eMoov? “If they can afford me,” he says. “And there’s some truth in that. As online becomes more and more mainstream, purchases will become more expensive, so they had better get in quickly.
I can quite see that eMoov will have a valuation soon of £100m and if that sounds cocky, I apologise.
“By 2020 – less than five years away – he believes online agents will account for half of all property transactions in the UK.”
Within 3 years investors suckeredin by his PR left with life changing debts and now a franchisee at Keller Williams with 0 instructions
he has the neck to tell CWD how to run their business
The irony is not lost that the newly formulated Emoov (sans Quirk) who kicked off at the start of the year have 200 instructions whilst Keller Wiliams have 234 having arrived in 2015
As good a summary as one will read, of….
The Legend in his own Lunchtime that is…..
Russell “MeMeMeeeeee” Quirk!
Countrywide ‘needs to be a tenth of the size it is’ in order to survive; well just appoint Quirk, from what I have read, that will do it………
Ha, ha, ha. The perfect solution. Just appoint Querk, stand back and wait to see your business disappear up its own…..
This joke shop will not survive. It will fold, eventually.
Countrywide attached to its ego. Says the pontificator attached to his ego.
Russell Quirk….. easy to spot when walking past those Countrywide Branches ……he carries his own spotlight.
After the Emoov debacle? …..No credibility Russell.
Quirk, Beeny, Phil Spencer, Woodford, Kevin McCloud.
Not defaming anyone, just listing some names of Industry experts………
Allsopp, don’t forget Allsopp, or rather The Right Honourable Allsopp, utter genius.
I knew there was another industry ‘expert’ that I missed…..thank you htsnpm79