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Prosus's Olx Group agrees to acquire La Centrale, a Leading Motors Classifieds Platform in France for EUR1.1 Billion
Prosus N.V.
(Incorporated in the Netherlands)
(Legal Entity Identifier: 635400Z5LQ5F9OLVT688)
AEX and JSE Share Code: PRX ISIN: NL0013654783
(Prosus)
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, 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.
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
26 September 2025
JSE sponsor to Prosus
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 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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