Closing is expected by year-end, subject to a customary employee consultation process.
”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.”
OLX operates 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 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.” said Fabricio Bloisi, CEO of Prosus.
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.
“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 is a top 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.
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.
Classifieds platforms like La Centrale are well-positioned to capture this opportunity by connecting professional sellers with a growing pool of value-conscious buyers. Following on the heels of Prosus’s planned acquisition of Just Eat Takeaway.com, La Centrale further strengthens Prosus’s European ambition.