With the acquisition Schibsted shows both its commitment to continue to explore opportunities in the Finnish market, as well as strengthening its marketplace position already established through Oikotie and Tori with new verticals.
AutoVex is the leading used car C2B auction marketplace in Finland, allowing consumers to conveniently get offers for their used car from their home via a digitally managed auction directed exclusively towards car dealers. Through offering the car for sale via AutoVex, consumers can in a few simple steps get the best available offer from +800 car dealers in Finland. For car dealers, AutoVex offers a convenient and efficient way to source high quality used cars. The company was founded in 2018 by Sebastian Frick and currently employs around 20 people in Helsinki.
“Schibsted has a mission to empower people in their daily lives, helping consumers to make informed choices. We already have a strong marketplace foothold in Finland through our ownership in Oikotie and Tori reaching 2.5 million Finns on a weekly basis. By becoming a majority owner in AutoVex we continue to invest further into the growing Finnish market, and we further expand our portfolio of next generation marketplaces in the Motor vertical. AutoVex is spearheading the used car C2B auction market in Finland, and we see significant headroom for the business to grow, with approximately 270,000 used cars in Finland sold from a consumer to a car dealer every year,” says Christian Printzell Halvorsen, EVP Nordic Marketplaces in Schibsted.
Robin Suwe SVP Mobility in Nordic Marketplaces, Sebastian Frick CEO AutoVex and Atle Gran Lindstad Investment Director in Schibsted.
AutoVex has seen exceptional growth since its establishment, and to date close to 20,000 cars have been sold through the platform amounting to a total gross merchandise value of around EUR 350 million. As of Q3 this year, the company’s last twelve months (LTM) revenue grew by approx. 330% YoY.
“AutoVex’s mission is to create the most effective way to buy and sell used cars online, whilst providing the best possible user experience for both consumers and car dealers. Schibsted and AutoVex share a vision for next generation marketplaces and by combining forces, we’re able to further accelerate our growth and competitiveness in Finland. The entire AutoVex team is delighted to join Schibsted and is looking forward to working and learning together as we build the future of online car commerce.” says Sebastian Frick, Founder of AutoVex.
Schibsted already has several leading brands in the Motor vertical across the Nordics, including names such as FINN, Nettbil, Carweb and Honk in Norway, Bilbasen and DBA in Denmark and Blocket and Bytbil in Sweden. With the acquisition of AutoVex we are building on the expertise we have and expanding our offering in Finland with a new concept.
“We are excited to include AutoVex in our family of digital brands, and look forward to supporting the company’s growth and further solidifying its market position in Finland. As well as bringing our expertise from building world leading marketplaces to the company, we are confident that the employees of AutoVex have experience and knowledge that we can learn from and utilise to further strengthen our Motor vertical,” says Robin Suwe, newly appointed SVP Mobility in Nordic Marketplaces.
For more information:
Atle Lessum
Head of Schibsted Group Communications
Tel.: +47 415 05 645
E-mail: atle.lessum@schibsted.com
Robin Suwe
SVP Mobility in Nordic Marketplaces
Tel.: +46 72-710 20 50
E-mail: robin.suwe@schibsted.com
Jussi Lystimäki
SVP Nordic Accelerator
Tel.: +358 40 549 3218
E-mail: jussi.lystimaki@schibsted.com
Sebastian Frick
CEO AutoVex
Tel.: +358 50 324 4050
About AutoVex
AutoVex is the leading used car C2B auction marketplace in Finland. The company is based in Helsinki and employs about 20 people. The AutoVex platform helps consumers sell their car for the best price whilst providing car dealers with an effective purchasing tool. Since launch, around 350 million euros worth of cars have been sold through the platform.
