PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With 35 percent of its site traffic already coming from outside the U.S., Houzz (www.houzz.com), the leading platform for home remodeling and design, today announced that it has opened offices and hired local managers in the UK, Germany and Australia to accelerate its global expansion. Local managers in these markets will oversee operations in Western Europe and Asia Pacific, with more international offices to open this year. Houzz also announced that it has hired Oliver Jung to lead the company’s international efforts. Prior to joining Houzz, Jung launched and led Airbnb’s international expansion.
“Houzz transformed the $300 billion dollar home remodeling and design industry in the U.S. and is well on its way to doing the same on a global scale,” said Jung. “I’ve been amazed by Houzz’s brand equity in other countries and am excited to join the team during this next phase of growth.”
Houzz has grown organically to more than 16 million monthly unique site users – 35 percent of whom are outside the U.S. – more than 12 million app downloads, and more than 300,000 professionals across 60 categories, including home builders, architects, interior designers and contractors. Homeowners from 184 countries – 94 percent of the world’s total – responded to Houzz’s annual Houzz & Home survey last year. More than 85,000 international home improvement professionals already use Houzz as a critical business tool to interact with clients, prospective clients, and other building, remodeling and design professionals locally and around the world– and they’re getting business as a result.
“Houzz has always been about eliminating the barriers that exist between homeowners and good design, and between talented home improvement professionals and their potential customers– wherever they might be,” said Adi Tatarko, Houzz cofounder and CEO. “Expanding to new markets will help us meet the enormous demand for our platform and provide the localized experience our global community of homeowners and home professionals has been asking for.”
Houzz has experienced significant growth over the past year. Highlights of the company’s continued momentum include:
- Professionals added more than 1 million retina-quality images of home interiors and exteriors to Houzz in 2013; there are more than 2.5 million images on Houzz today
- The company’s top-rated iOS app has been downloaded more than 12 million times, up from 6 million downloads as of January 2013. The Houzz App has been downloaded more than 4 million times by international users
- Houzz’s Pro+ premium local marketing program for professionals has grown to thousands of paid subscribers since the program was announced in January 2013
- To help scale and meet the demand for its platform, Houzz tripled its team in 2013 to 170 employees, and is hiring top engineering and design talent in Palo Alto
View this infographic for a snapshot of Houzz and its global reach: http://info.houzz.com/GlobalHouzzFacts.html
About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish - online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to get the design inspiration, project advice, product information and professional reviews they need to help turn ideas into reality. For more information, visit www.houzz.com
