Birmingham based Glide, the first company in the UK to offer multi-tenant billing for people living in shared accommodation, has opened a second office in London to focus on the ever expanding HMO market, following another successful year of growth.
The company, which is believed to service around 10% of the available market, owes much of its previous success to the student market. Glide was launched by a couple of entrepreneurial students in 2006 and has since been acquired by Cablecom, and up until now, has largely targeted key student cities to achieve year-on-year growth since its inception. While the company will continue to service student properties, the second office in London will open new doors to the rapidly expanding HMO market and young professionals living in the capital.
To strengthen the company’s proposition in London, which is thought to house 40% of the UK’s total HMO market, Glide has acquired Huru, a London based multi-tenant billing start up. Arthur Jones, Glide’s London Business Development Manager will head up the new office. He said of the acquisition; “While Glide has experienced a 32% sales growth in the past year, with a 58% increase in number of broadband customers since being acquired by Cablecom; we believe there is still huge potential for growth with a new presence in the capital. Huru’s staff bring unrivalled knowledge and experience to our portfolio and we’re ready for the opportunities that await.”
Today, Glide is a £28 million business with over 80 staff. The business, whose mantra is; Hate Bills, Love Glide; offers students, professionals and business customers one single monthly bill to cover all their utilities and portfolios. Glide exists to take the pain and stress out of utility bills, to give their customers the time to get busy doing the things they want to be doing. This approach, together with their technologically advanced billing infrastructure, and focus on innovation, has earned Glide its market leading position. Glide has been ranked in the top 100 fastest-growing privately owned British businesses.
Glide is proud to retain all current staff at Huru and provide Huru’s existing customers with uninterrupted service.
