The lucrative world of
classified advertising:
Investment and
innovation
14 November 2013
Briefly …

• About the AIM Group
• Classifieds and margins
• The ‘Big Five’ global
classified companies
• Eight major investors
• Questions and answers
• Giveaway / wrap-up
About us

Consultants …
and publishers of
About us

We’re
‘consultants
who publish’…
About us
Peter M.
Zollman,
founding
principal

Katja Riefler,
principal /
director – EMEA

Global, virtual network
32 consultants / analysts
Many clients you know
About us
The lucrative world of
classified advertising:
Investment and
innovation
14 November 2013
What made
newspapers
so profitable?

It was the
classifieds!
2004 recruitment advertising
revenue: $130 million

2009 recruitment advertising
revenue: $13 million
Now:
Three of the
most profitable
classified websites
2012 revenue: €97.7 million
2012 net profit: €67.7 million
Margin: 69.2 percent
H1 ’13: Revenue +31 percent
Margin: Exceeds 70 percent
… and they’re
just
getting started!
2012 revenue: $214 million
2012 net profit: $104 million
Margin: 49 percent
Q2 ’13: EBITDA hits 55 percent
… most mature
site at Schibsted
2013 revenue: $166.5 million
Profit: $130 million
Margin: 78.6 percent *
Craigslist could quadruple
revenue and improve quality
… but it doesn’t want to!
Source: AIM Group estimates
The ‘Big Five’
•
•
•
•
•

Aggressive, determined, competitive
More than 40 brands – some ‘hidden’
Some profitable, many ‘investment’
Most based on Blocket (Sweden) model
Wants to be No. 1 everywhere
•
•
•
•
•
•

Big stakes in TenCent (China), Mail.ru
23 key countries identified as targets
Multiple brands in multiple countries
Olx, Avito.ru, Allegro Group, others
E-commerce and classifieds
Internet revenue overtook Pay TV
• All in ‘Marketplaces’ unit (revenue,
expenses impossible to determine)
• Major brands include Gumtree, Kijiji,
Marktplaats, Mobile.de
• 2013 ‘roller-coaster ride’
• Tying in to social media, auctions
• General Atlantic --- 30 percent stake
in A / S Digital Classifieds
• GA: €320 million investment (at least!)
• Stepstone, Immonet, SeLoger
• Added TotalJobs, Immoweb.be, more
• ‘If an opportunity shows up, we can
act fast --- as we have proven’
• Last week: Acquired SaonGroup
Investors *
Now for the
giveaways …
The free giveaway
The free giveaway
Conference discount

20 % discount
Two weeks only!

AIMGroup.com
Code:
20NOAH
Money-back
guarantee
Your turn ...
Q&A
… and then a
social media tip
Thanks to …

Jan Brandes
Marco Rodzynek
… and to all of you!
peterz@aimgroup.com
+1.407.788.2780
katjar@aimgroup.com
+49 (89) 6.214.6044
AIM Group - NOAH13 London

AIM Group - NOAH13 London