Alma Media acquired a group-buying online service for professionals
Alma Media Corporation  Press release June 4, 2012 at 10.45 (EEST)
ALMA MEDIA ACQUIRED A GROUP-BUYING ONLINE SERVICE FOR PROFESSIONALS
Alma Media Corporation has acquired the entire stock of Suomen Hankintakeskus
Oy, a company behind a group-buying online service www.suomenhankintakeskus.fi.
The service enables companies seeking to buy goods or services to procure
collectively, and hence rationalise the purchasing process and achieve cost
savings. Suomen Hankintakeskus will join Alma Media's Mascus, an international
marketplace for used heavy machinery and transportation vehicles.
The deal is in line with Alma Media's strategy to increase the share of revenue
generated by digital services.
-The group-buying concept developed by Suomen Hankintakeskus Oy fits very well
into Mascus product portfolio. The deal further strengthens Mascus' position as
an international marketplace helping its customers in making business
effectively, says Mr Fredrik Larsson, Director of Mascus.
The parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the transaction. The
revenue of Suomen Hankintakeskus Oy was 380,000 euros in 2011 and the company
will be reported as part of Alma Media's Digital Consumer Services segment as of
June 1, 2012.
Suomen Hankintakeskus Oy was founded in 2009 by Mr Jukka Mansikka. Through the
service developed by the firm, companies aiming to purchase goods or services
can make their procurement process more effective, while the suppliers are able
to find new customers. The service currently has 1,300 registered suppliers. The
service is operational in Finland and via licensee partners in Sweden and
Germany. Mr Mansikka will continue as the Head of the company also after the
transaction.
Mascus is a worldwide marketplace for heavy machinery and transportation
vehicles, which operates in the business areas of Construction, Agriculture,
Transportation, Material Handling, Groundscare and Forestry. Mascus has local
operations in 42 countries and the platform is available on 54 domains in 39
languages.
For further information, please contact
Fredrik Larsson, Director, Mascus, tel. +358 50 314 2511
Raimo Mäkilä, SVP, Alma Media Marketplaces, tel. +358 10 665 5802
Alma Media in brief
Alma Media is a dynamic media company whose best-known products are the
Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti and Etuovi.com. Alma Media employs
approximately 3,000 professionals. The company's revenue in 2011 totalled MEUR
316.2 with an operating margin of 13.3 per cent. Alma Media's share (ALN1V) is
listed in the Mid Cap segment of the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. Read more:
www.almamedia.com.
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Source: Alma Media Oyj via Thomson Reuters ONE
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