If you use hierarchical sheets for schematics you can open the context menu over one selected footprint and click Select->Items in Same Hierarchical Sheet. Then you can move them together away from other items.
You can use Replicate layout: Action plugin to clone layout of a hierarchical sheet if it’s replicated in schematic, too. Similar functionality and actually implementation for “rooms” is in plans for v6, see https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/1521062.