HCR Law advises shareholders of newhomesforsale.co.uk on sale to Zoopla

HCR Law’s Midlands Corporate team has advised the shareholders of newhomesforsale.co.uk Limited on the company’s acquisition by Zoopla.

Founded in 1998 by Managing Director Vernon Pethard, newhomesforsale.co.uk has grown to become the UK’s largest specialist new homes portal. It serves more than 200 developer customers, including nine of the top 10 national housebuilders. The platform currently supports 2,500 active developments and connects more than 1m high-intent home buyers each year, generating around 170,000 qualified leads for home builders annually.

Zoopla’s acquisition strengthens its position as a leading UK property brand and enhances its offering in the new homes market. newhomesforsale.co.uk will continue to operate as a standalone brand and website under its existing leadership team while benefiting from Zoopla’s proprietary audience data and AI-driven product investment.

The legal team advising on the deal was led by Alison Scott, Partner and Head of Midlands Corporate, supported by Penelope Sankey and Ryan Upperton. Real estate matters were handled by Associate Jemma Morris and employment advice was provided by Zara Shah.

Vernon Pethard, former owner and Managing Director of newhomesforsale.co.uk, said: “I would like to thank Alison and her team for their excellent advice and support throughout our business sale. They provided clear, commercially focused guidance, handled negotiations with professionalism and ensured the transaction progressed smoothly to completion.

“Their responsiveness and attention to detail gave us real confidence at every stage. I would highly recommend Alison Scott and the team at HCR for any business sale or corporate transaction.”

Mark Hincks, the company’s Sales Director, commented: “Alison and the HCR team have been fantastic in supporting us throughout this transaction. Our focus has always been to connect developers with high-intent buyers and deliver a clear return on marketing investment. Joining Zoopla unlocks audience data, insights and innovation that will allow us to deliver even more value for our customers. Together, we can accelerate growth and support home builders with stronger sales pipelines and better commercial outcomes.”

Commenting on the deal, Alison said: “It has been a pleasure to advise Vernon and Mark on this exciting transaction. newhomesforsale.co.uk has established itself as the UK’s leading new homes portal for over 25 years and this acquisition by Zoopla clearly demonstrates that success. We wish the team every success as they enter this new chapter with Zoopla and look forward to seeing the business continue to thrive.”

Tax advice to the shareholders was provided by Adam Rollason and Nicholas Skidmore of PKF Smith Cooper and corporate finance advice was provided by Toby Ramsden and Sam Esser of Sequence Advisers.