Ebay to sell classified ads business to Adevinta in a deal worth $9.2 billion

Ebay Inc agrees to sell its classified ads business to Norway’s Adevinta in a deal worth $9.2 billion, making the world’s largest classifieds group, the companies said today.

Ebay will get $2.5 billion in cash and 540 million shares of Adevinta, creating it the biggest shareholder with a 44% stake of the pro forma company, they said.

   

“Adevinta becomes the largest online classifieds company globally, with a unique portfolio of leading marketplace brands,” Adevinta CEO Rolv Erik Ryssdal said.

The company will have market presence in 20 countries, covering one billion people with three billion visits per month.

“We believe the combination of the two companies, with their complementary businesses, creates one of the most exciting and compelling equity stories in the online classifieds sector,” Ryssdal said.

Adevinta was spun out of Nordic media company Schibsted and listed on the Oslo bourse in 2019.

Its shares increased 39% on the news after trading that had been halted continued while Schibsted shares were up 21%.

It owns brands such as France’s largest online classified ads website Leboncoin, Brazil’s OLX and dozens more across Europe, the Americas and North Africa.

The eBay Classifieds Group includes the Gumtree and Kijiji brands, and offers online ads to over 1,000 cities all over the world. The business posted an operating income of $83 million on revenue of $248 million in the first quarter this year.

The transaction, which is expected to close by the first quarter of next year, targets $150-185 million in annual synergies within three years.

It will mean Schibsted’s stake in Adevinta falls to about 33% from 59%, Schibsted said separately.