General Chat

In yesterdays Mail there is an article about the Pankhurst, founders of Friends/Genes Reunited...... Apparently they have bought in a management team of 50 to develop and expand the company.....Quite an interesting article.

Modest- Broke soon then, a staff of 50 managers, you cant get an office girl in the smoke for less tha 20k a year, so these managers are gonna want 50k a year at least, is there enough subs on here to pay for this, or have they got other ideas?

Yes me too, you have these romantic notions it's all run from their back bedroom. Apparently they could have sold it for around £30m, but decided to keep it and get the management team in, now worth £160m btw the offices are in Oxted, Surrey

It was originally run from their bedroom/office. They handed it over to a management team either the end of last year or the beginning of this, I hadn't realised they had 50 working for them though. I suppose it is not just GR but Friends, Connections and Dating. To name drop, my DiL went to school and trained in IT with Julie. Ann Glos

Pankhursts.....Brilliant people Without them Genes would not exist and we would not be gassing on here now lol Elaine x

Maybe, but a little investment in the server to cope with the flow would be brilliant.

Gary, my daughter is an office girl in the smoke, and she earns a lot less than 20k a year.

i think the pankhurst do a fantastic job. give credit where credits due. they deserve a bit of recognition dont you think? susie

bumping in light of recent news

Yes, I think this site and Friends Reunited are brilliant inventions and I admire them. Rosalyn

I don't think anyone doesn't think the Pankhurst people are not brilliant, anyone who has as much success as they have deserves it, after all this is just a business. I have posted this on a few thread, so might as well added it on here, google to see if it was true, fount this for September 05 Reunion website FriendsReunited is in talks which could lead to its sale. The company is talking to at least five firms about its future. Michael Murphy, CEO of Friends Reunited said: “Profits are expected to be £6.5 million for 2005 and over £8 million in 06. “As a result of this performance and the Group’s prospects, we can confirm that the company has recently received a number of credible approaches from large media groups and internet players. A spokeswoman for the company confirmed it is talking to at least five possible bidders. Friends Reunited has appointed financial advisors Long Acre to help with negotiations. Talks could lead to an outright sale or the sale of a significant stake in the business. The site claims 12m members. It was started by Steve and Julie Pankhurst in a spare bedroom in 2000 and quickly became very popular. They still own 30 per cent of the business, which the Times estimates could be worth £120m. Last year marriage guidance group Relate blamed it, and similar sites, for fuelling divorce by making it easier for people to get in touch with old flames. The site has become a first stop for journalists seeking background information on the newly-famous. And the police have found it useful too - a man from Teeseide was convicted of drug offences after bragging to old school mates about how much cash he was making selling cocaine. Alongside its school reunion site the company has opened dating, geneaology and jobs sites Now i was fine, until someone said on another thread that all the sites are one big one. ????? :-)

MAYBE WE SHOULD GIVE THE TEAM TIME TO SORT THE PROBLEMS THEN... AT LEAST IT IS A MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION... WELL DONE TO THEM I SAY.. I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN ANY OF THE LOVELY PEOPLE I DO NOW, IF IT WERE NOT FOR THIS SITE! WELL DONE THE PANKHURSTS!! MAZ X

Well i paid my dues for the last 3 years and now they are millionaires and i aint any further foward with my brick walls!! You win some... you lose some!!! GR plc sounds nice tho???? Karen