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.


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.

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. 


Contacts 
Mélodie Laroche  
Head of Corporate Communications 
+33 (0) 6 84 30 52 76 
melodie.laroche@adevinta.com /press@adevinta.com

Marie de Scorbiac 
Head of Investor Relations 
ir@adevinta.com 


John Kiely / Latika Shah / Olivia Adebo 
Edelman Smithfield 
+44 (0)7785 275665 / +44 (0)7950 671 948 / +44 (0)7787 284 441  
adevinta@edelman.com 

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act