(Oslo 25 June 2021) On 21 July 2020, Schibsted's subsidiary Adevinta announced a definitive agreement with eBay Inc. to acquire 100 percent of eBay Classifieds Group. As part of the transaction, Schibsted has acquired the Danish part of the business, DBA.dk and bilbasen.dk. Today we mark that the agreement has been completed, and Schibsted's online classified adventure in Denmark can begin.
“This is a day we have been looking forward to since last summer, and we are excited to welcome our competent Danish colleagues to the Schibsted family. Together, we will be very well equipped to develop and grow the next generation of online classified businesses in the Nordic region, says Kristin Skogen Lund,” CEO of Schibsted.
Schibsted is the owner of the leading online classified businesses FINN.no in Norway, Blocket.se in Sweden and Tori.fi and Oikotie.fi in Finland. With DBA and Bilbasen the company strengthens its online classified position in the Nordic region with some of the most well-known and best-liked brands in Denmark.
DBA is Denmark’s number one marketplace with more than 2 million unique monthly users, while Bilbasen is Denmark’s leading marketplace for trading cars. The two companies have a total of approximately 130 employees, primarily located in Copenhagen and Aarhus.
“During the past 12 years with eBay as the owner, DBA and Bilbasen have become an increasingly important part of Danes’ lives. This has not least become evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, where more than 2 million Danes have used our marketplaces every month. Now we are ready for a new era, and we are very happy to become part of Schibsted, says Abhishek Roy,” CEO of Schibsted’s Danish marketplaces.
Roy expects that Schibsted will contribute to the Danish operations taking new steps in the development of products and services on their platforms.
“In particular, Schibsted’s investment in sustainability and green transformation – and not least the inherent innovation ability they are known for – will help us develop DBA and Bilbasen’s market positions further and help us reach the objective of creating the strongest trading ecosystem in Denmark,” Roy concludes.
The fact that Schibsted takes over as owner of DBA and Bilbasen will not entail any changes for the users of the services in Denmark, they can still enjoy using the same, high-quality services from the same brands. In the long run, of course, Schibsted hopes that Danish users can also benefit from the classified sites now becoming part of a Nordic community in relation to the development of new products and services. In much the same way, Schibsted hopes to be able to learn from Denmark for the benefit of users in Norway, Sweden and Finland.
“At Schibsted, we have a lot to learn about the Danish market where we have so far only been present with our comparison service for consumer loans, Lendo. We know that many Danes buy second-hand and are concerned about the green shift and how a circular economy can have a positive effect on the environment. It is a key element in our marketplaces, and the precondition for continuing the success that DBA.dk and bilbasen.dk is the very best, says Kristin Skogen Lund.
For further information:
Jan Lang, Head of Communications, Schibsted Marketplaces Denmark, jlang1@eclassifiedsgroup.com, +45 3017 77 81
Atle Lessum, Head of Communications Schibsted Group, atle.lessum@schibsted.com, +47 415 05 645
Kristine Eia Kirkholm, Head of Communications FINN.no, kristine.eia.kirkholm@schibsted.com, +47 932 47 875
About DBA.dk
DBA is the leading online marketplace in Denmark with more than 2 million unique, monthly users. In 2020, private sellers presented more than 12,7 million items for sale at the company. DBA.dk was launched in 1995 as an online version of Den Blå Avis, which was established in 1981. Den Blå Avis and DBA.dk were bought by eBay Inc. in 2008. In 2014, the production of the newspaper edition of Den Blå Avis was discontinued, and since then, the focus has been exclusively on the online platform.
About bilbasen.dk
Bilbasen is Denmark’s leading marketplace for car trade. It was launched in 1996 in a collaboration between the publications Bilmarkedet and Den Blå Avis. In 2008, Bilbasen was sold to eBay Inc. At this moment there are over 60,000 cars for sale at Bilbasen. The company’s vision is to make the trade in cars as simple as possible. At the same time, Bilbasen will ensure the most efficient contact between the car salesman and the car buyer. In 2020, there were over 450,000 cars for sale at Bilbasen, and the service has 700.000 unique users every month.
About Schibsted
Schibsted is a family of digital brands with a strong Nordic position, and more than 5,000 employees. Millions of people enjoy interacting with our companies every day through our online marketplaces such as FINN, Blocket and Oikotie; our media houses including Aftenposten, VG and Aftonbladet; and digital services like Lendo. We also help new promising businesses grow. Our joint mission of empowering people in their daily lives is rooted in the values of our media heritage and a legacy of bold change. At our best, we are a fearless force for change in a society built on trust and transparency.
Schibsted is listed on Oslo Børs and holds a majority ownership in Adevinta, a company that was spun off and publicly listed as a separate company on Oslo Børs in 2019.