Homehunter surge

MORE than 1.7m homebuyers visit Zoopla, uSwitch and Prime Location each day, their owner has claimed.

ZPG, formerly known as Zoopla – which is 29.8pc owned by DMGT, parent company of the Daily Mail – had a record 314m visits in the six months to March 31, ensuring record revenues in its first half. Higher costs from acquisitions meant profits fell 20pc to £22.5m from £28.1m.

The group acquired Hometrack, a data company, and Expert Agent, a software firm. The acquisitions added £3.8m of revenue, but contributed to £8.8m of exceptional costs.