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Adevinta — M&A Activity 2021
Dec 1, 2021
3520_rns_2021-12-01_b97e61cd-5c7f-4ca6-99ac-da55449d836c.html
M&A Activity
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Adevinta ASA (ADE) - Adevinta sells Gumtree UK and Motors.co.uk to O3 Industries and Novum Capital
Adevinta ASA (ADE) - Adevinta sells Gumtree UK and Motors.co.uk to O3 Industries and Novum Capital
Oslo, 1 December 2021 - Adevinta ASA (ADE) ("Adevinta" or "the Company")
announces that it has completed the sale of Gumtree UK and Motors.co.uk to a
consortium consisting of O3 Industries ("O3"), a New York-based family
investment fund, and Novum Capital, a private equity firm based out of
Frankfurt. The sale is part of a previous agreement with the UK's Competition
and Market Authority (CMA) for approval of Adevinta's acquisition of eBay
Classifieds Group ("eCG").
In June 2021, the CMA announced that it had accepted undertakings offered by
Adevinta and eBay to resolve the competition concerns raised by the UK
regulator, following its review of Adevinta's acquisition of eCG. These remedies
included the sale of Gumtree UK (including Motors.co.uk), as well as Shpock,
which Adevinta divested to Russmedia Equity Partners in June 2021.
O3 and Novum Capital both have long track records in the media and entertainment
industry, helping businesses to grow and realise value. Combining their
significant experience and deep sector expertise, the two firms will focus on
investing in and growing the Gumtree UK business, leveraging the company's
strong brand recognition in the UK market and their competency in digital
marketing, media and data.
Rolv Erik Ryssdal, Adevinta CEO, said: "We are pleased to have completed the
sale of Gumtree UK and Motors.co.uk to O3 and Novum Capital. There was a high
level of interest throughout the sale process, reflecting the quality of the
Gumtree UK business and management team. We are confident that both O3 and Novum
Capital are well placed to continue growing Gumtree UK and Motors.co.uk as they
focus on providing leading classifieds advertising services to the UK market.
"The acquisition of eCG was a significant milestone for Adevinta, and we remain
focused on successfully integrating the two businesses. The combination provides
us the scale, expertise and talent to build innovative, world-class products
that create value for all of our stakeholders."
Daniel Ozen, President of O3 Industries, said: "We are excited to have reached
this agreement to acquire Gumtree UK and Motors.co.uk, an iconic general
classifieds as well as automotive marketplace. O3 Industries is a trusted
partner for businesses that have both a demonstrated record of innovation and
customer service and, at the same time, clear opportunities for continued
growth. That is precisely what we see in Gumtree UK and Motors.co.uk. We look
forward to working with its talented and experienced team and welcoming its
associates into the O3 family."
Felix Homann, Partner of Novum Capital, added: "Gumtree UK's value proposition
is more vital than ever, enabling consumers to participate more in the circular
economy by buying and selling second-hand. Likewise, Motors.co.uk supports car
dealers in satisfying the growing demand from consumers for a great online car
buying experience. We are excited to put our expertise and passion to work in
order to seize the opportunities this presents."
In 2020, Gumtree UK and Motors.co.uk accounted for c. 7% of consolidated
revenues for eBay Classifieds Group and c. 4% for total Adevinta.
-Ends-
Notes to Editor
About Adevinta
Adevinta is a global online classifieds specialist, operating digital
marketplaces in 15 countries. The company provides technology-based services to
connect buyers with sellers and to facilitate transactions, from job offers to
real estate, cars, consumer goods and more.
Adevinta's portfolio spans more than 40 digital brands, covering one billion
people and attracting approximately three billion average monthly visits.
Leading brands include top-ranked leboncoin in France, Germany's leading
classifieds sites mobile.de and eBay Kleinanzeigen, Marktplaats in the
Netherlands, Kijiji in Canada, fotocasa and InfoJobs in Spain, and 50% of fast-
growing OLX Brasil. Adevinta spun off from Schibsted ASA and publicly listed in
Oslo, Norway in 2019. Adevinta employs around 7,500 people committed to
supporting users and customers daily. Find out more at Adevinta.com
(https://www.adevinta.com/).
About O3 Industries
Headquartered in New York, O3 Industries is an investment fund focused on
executing complex acquisitions and undertaking strategic transactions requiring
divisional carve-out experience. O3 creates value by combining entrepreneurial
spirit and operational expertise, delivering industry leading results over the
long-term. Find out more at o3industries.com (https://www.o3industries.com/).
About Novum Capital
Novum Capital invests in small and medium-sized companies with annual revenues
of up to 200 million euros on behalf of German and international pension funds,
private pension schemes, and endowments. Novum Capital thus contributes to the
investors' ability to continue to provide financial support for their
beneficiaries and/or to pursue the purpose of their organisation to the fullest
extent possible. Novum Capital helps its portfolio companies to improve their
market position, increase their profitability, enhance the benefits of their
business models for society - and increase the value of their company. Novum
Capital approaches these tasks with all its business expertise - and passion.
Find out more at: novumcapital.com (https://www.novumcapital.com/en/).
Contacts
Mélodie Laroche
Head of Corporate Communications
+33 (0) 6 84 30 52 76
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Marie de Scorbiac
Head of Investor Relations
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected] )
John Kiely / Latika Shah / Olivia Adebo
Edelman Smithfield
+44 (0)7785 275665 / +44 (0)7950 671 948 / +44 (0)7787 284 441
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section
5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act