£140million.co.uk

Best boss in Britain is quids in as he sells firm and staff share £8m

A MAN dubbed Britain’s best boss is in the money after selling his website for up to £140million. Chris Morling and wife Gael will pocket a fortune after agreeing to flog finance site Money.co.uk to rivals ZPG, owners of uSwitch and Zoopla. The deal is worth an initial £80million, plus another £60million if the firm do well. It will also trigger a bumper windfall for Money’s small group of just over 50 staff who own 10 per cent of the business, meaning they will share at least £8million – equivalent to about £160,000 each. It is the latest reward for workers, who already enjoy enviable perks. Morling, 47, spent £3million renovating a castle in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, as the company HQ. The offices, designed by TV’s Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, boast a Star Wars cinema, an ice cave-themed meeting room, free beer, a yoga studio, arcade machines and pool tables.

The urinals in the gents are in the shape of the famous lips logo from The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album.

And every year, Morling takes staff on an all-expenses paid holiday, with previous destinations including New York, Copenhagen and Florida.

The business, set up in 2008, made £8million profit on nearly £25million of sales in the year to November.

ZPG said Money.co.uk would continue as a standalone business and that Morling would stay.

Alex Chesterman, founder and CEO of ZPG, said: “Broadening our financial services offering has long been a key part of our strategy.”