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Prosus's Olx Group agrees to acquire La Centrale, a Leading Motors Classifieds Platform in France for EUR1.1 Billion
Naspers Limited
(Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa)
(Registration number 1925/001431/06)
JSE share code: NPN ISIN: ZAE000325783
(Naspers)
PROSUS'S OLX GROUP AGREES TO ACQUIRE LA CENTRALE, A LEADING MOTORS
CLASSIFIEDS PLATFORM IN FRANCE, FOR EUR1.1 BILLION FROM PROVIDENCE
- OLX agrees to acquire 100% of La Centrale in an all-cash deal.
- La Centrale is a leading French vertical motors classifieds platform, with a strong
history of data-led growth and innovation.
- The deal will accelerate OLX's European strategy to grow highly profitable
marketplaces using best-in-class AI and tools trusted by dealers and consumers.
- The acquisition further strengthens Prosus's ambition to build a European ecommerce
ecosystem.
OLX Group ("OLX"), a global online classifieds leader wholly-owned by Prosus N.V. (Prosus,
and together with its subsidiaries, the Prosus Group) (which is majority-owned by Naspers),
today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire La Centrale, a leading French
autos classifieds platform, from Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. for EUR1.1 billion. Closing
is expected by year-end, subject to a customary employee consultation process.
OLX operates fast-growing and highly profitable online marketplaces for motors, real estate,
jobs and goods with 29 million monthly users in eight countries, primarily in Central and
Eastern Europe. The acquisition marks OLX's entry into Western Europe and France's
structurally attractive autos market. La Centrale is recognised as France's most specialised
autos platform, with strength in higher-value vehicles and deep trust among sellers and
consumers.
The transaction combines two proven leaders in classifieds, strengthening OLX's European
autos portfolio in a compelling and attractive market while bringing on a strong leadership
team to help build Prosus's ambition to become the leading European ecommerce ecosystem.
"La Centrale is a natural fit within our classifieds portfolio," commented Christian Gisy, CEO
of OLX. "Our strategy is to unleash the growth potential of vertical marketplaces, building
strong regional leaders by scaling businesses using our proprietary AI technology. La
Centrale's strong market position and talented team are the perfect foundation to deliver our
trusted innovative customer-first technology solutions to France."
Fabricio Bloisi, CEO of Prosus, added: "La Centrale strengthens our lifestyle ecommerce
ecosystem in Europe and highlights our commitment to invest in the people and platforms
shaping the future of ecommerce in the region. La Centrale will expand our footprint into one
of Europe's most dynamic technology markets and unlock new opportunities to innovate,
scale, and deliver even greater value to consumers and partners through AI. I expect to invest
more in AI technology in France."
Karim Tabet, Senior Managing Director and Head of Europe, and Robert Sudo,
Managing Director, at Providence, said: "Since our investment in 2021, Providence, in
partnership with Philippe and his team, has successfully transformed La Centrale from a
traditional auto classifieds player into a leading data and tech platform for new and used cars
in France. We believe substantial investments in talent, technology and marketing, together
with the dedication of all employees, have been pivotal to the company's strategic
transformation and to La Centrale's success. We are proud to have supported La Centrale
throughout this journey and wish the entire team and OLX continued success in the future."
"La Centrale has long been a trusted destination for dealers and consumers in France," said
Philippe Chainieux, CEO of La Centrale. "We believe that joining forces with OLX and
Prosus will allow us to expand that mission, accelerate innovation and deliver even greater
value to our customers. We are excited to write the next chapter of growth together."
La Centrale provides OLX with an immediate leading position in one of Europe's largest used
car markets. By combining OLX's scale and technology with La Centrale's local expertise and
strong brand, the business is well-positioned to attract more dealers and expand their
partnerships, enhance the customer experience, and accelerate revenue growth.
The Case for OLX + La Centrale
- Strengthens OLX's European motors portfolio: La Centrale is a leading French
vertical motors classifieds platform with strong brand recognition and scale (c.4.5m
monthly unique visitors and ~350k listings), which complements OLX's leading motors
portfolio in Central and Eastern Europe, comprising 4 brands spanning 5 markets.
- A compelling market opportunity: The French car market is healthy and resilient,
with solid growth potential in the dealer segment. The ongoing shift of the used cars
market towards professional sellers presents significant upside as the dealership
landscape matures and consolidates. Professional dealers currently account for ~36%
of used car sales, compared with ~70% in Germany, and the average value per dealer
transaction sits below European benchmarks. At the same time, margins on new cars
are tightening, EV adoption is reshaping supply, and consumers are increasingly
turning to trusted digital platforms for transparency and choice. Classifieds platforms
like La Centrale are well-positioned to capture this opportunity by connecting
professional sellers with a growing pool of value-conscious buyers.
- Backs a strong leadership team: La Centrale's leadership has revitalised the brand
in recent years. It has undergone a successful restructuring, strengthening its
technology, user experience and overall market position, closing ground with its
competitors. This led to an improved financial performance with classifieds revenues
growing at a 12% CAGR.
- Enhances Prosus's European ecosystem strategy: Prosus is building the leading
European technology ecosystem, which will lead in consumer platforms and AI. Our
ecosystem approach will drive user engagement and customer loyalty, strengthen AI
capabilities, and help to optimise costs for our businesses. Prosus's investment in AI
is already reinventing ecommerce, from intelligent dispatching to hyper-personalised
ordering, and we're building Large Commerce Models - artificial intelligence systems
which are the new operating systems for ecommerce. Following on the heels of
Prosus's planned acquisition of Just Eat Takeaway.com, La Centrale further
strengthens Prosus's European ambition.
Advisors
Prosus and OLX were advised by BofA Securities and A&O Shearman. Providence was
advised by Goldman Sachs and Kirkland & Ellis.
Cape Town, South Africa
26 September 2025
JSE sponsor to Naspers
Investec Bank Limited
Contacts:
Prosus
Eoin Ryan Charlie Pemberton
Head of Investor Relations Communications Director
+1 347 210 4305 +31 615 494 359
OLX
Ana Garcia
Head of Communications
+31 652 573 174
For Providence
FGS Global - Charlie Chichester / Rory King
+44 79 1708 6227
ProvidenceEquity@fgsglobal.com
For La Centrale
NewCap - Nicolas Merigeau
+33 6 63 38 85 83
lacentrale@newcap.eu
About OLX Group
OLX is a global marketplace leader that builds platforms to facilitate trade. Serving tens of millions of people across
Europe and South Africa every month, OLX helps people sell and buy cars, find housing, get jobs, buy and sell
household goods, and much more. Its well-loved brands (including Autotrader, OLX, Otomoto, Property24, and more)
use AI and best-in-class technology to support professional sellers improving their business and consumers to find
what they need in a safe, smart and convenient way. For more information on OLX, visit www.olxgroup.com.
About La Centrale
La Centrale is a leading French vertical motors marketplace trusted by consumers and dealers for nearly 60 years.
With strong brand recognition and a commitment to innovation, La Centrale connects millions of buyers and sellers
every month through its advanced technology, data-driven solutions, and user-friendly platform. The company
supports more than 10,000 automotive professionals with powerful SaaS tools, including its Pilot suite, to optimise
pricing, sourcing, and stock management. Combining deep industry expertise with cutting-edge AI, La Centrale is
dedicated to creating value across the entire automotive ecosystem—for consumers, dealers, and partners alike. For
more information on La Centrale, visit www.lacentrale.fr
About Prosus
Prosus is the power behind the world's leading lifestyle ecommerce brands, across Europe, India and Latin America,
unlocking an AI-first world for our 2 billion customers.
The Prosus technology ecosystem spans food delivery, payments, classifieds, travel, events, and mobility. Our
integrated approach enhances user engagement and creates the foundation for unprecedented AI capabilities through
proprietary data and cross-service intelligence.
Through Prosus Ventures, we invest in companies which inspire and support the Prosus ecosystem. We search for
new opportunities at the leading edge of AI and ecommerce, the digital AI workforce and in frontier technologies,
such as robotics, drones and synbio.
The team actively backs exceptional entrepreneurs who are using technology to improve people's everyday lives.
For more on Prosus, its companies and investments, visit www.prosus.com.
About Naspers
Established in 1915, Naspers has transformed itself to become a global consumer internet company and one of the
largest technology investors in the world. Through Prosus, the group operates and invests globally in markets with
long-term growth potential, building leading consumer internet companies that empower people and enrich
communities. Prosus has its primary listing on Euronext Amsterdam, and a secondary listing on the Johannesburg
Stock Exchange and Naspers is the majority owner of Prosus.
In South Africa, Naspers is one of the foremost investors in the technology sector and is committed to building its
internet and ecommerce companies. These include Takealot, Mr D Food, Autotrader, Property24 and PayU, in addition
to Media24, South Africa's leading print and digital media business.
Naspers has a primary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (NPN.SJ) and a secondary listing on the A2X
Exchange (NPN.AJ) in South Africa and a level 1 American Depository Receipt (ADR) programme which trades on an
over-the-counter basis in the US.
For more information, please visit www.naspers.com..
Naspers Labs
In 2019, Naspers Labs, a youth development programme designed to transform and launch South Africa's
unemployed youth into economic activity, was launched. Naspers Labs focuses on digital skills and training, enabling
young people to pursue tech careers.
About Providence
Providence is a specialist private equity investment firm focused on growth-oriented media, communications,
education and technology companies across North America and Europe. Providence combines its partnership
approach to investing with deep industry expertise to help management teams build exceptional businesses and
generate attractive returns. Since its founding in 1989, Providence has invested over $40 billion across more than
180 private equity portfolio companies. With its headquarters in Providence, RI, the firm also has offices in New York,
London, Boston and Atlanta. For more information, please visit www.provequity.com.
Disclaimer
Goldman Sachs International, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the
Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting for Providence
and no one else in connection with this transaction and will not be responsible to anyone other than Providence for
providing the protections afforded to clients of Goldman Sachs International, or for giving advice in connection with
this transaction or any matter referred to herein.
Date: 26-09-2025 07:28:00
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