Pet Media Group, the Sweden-based operator of Europe’s largest online marketplace for pets, Pets4Homes, has announced the acquisition of another European pet classifieds site.
In line with the company’s ongoing strategy to become the dominant destination globally for pets and their caregivers, it has acquired Netherlands’ largest pet dog classifieds site, Puppyplaats.nl, which boasts hundreds of thousands of visitors per month.
The move follows the company’s recent acquisitions of leading Italian pet marketplaces AnnunciAnimali.it and AllevamentiRazze.it, in February 2021.
Since 2013, Puppyplaats.nl has been the go-to online destination for Dutch individuals and breeders to find puppies and dogs or suitable studs, with 85% of traffic coming from the Netherlands and 15% from Belgium. In concurrence with the operations in Pet Media Group’s other geographies, Puppyplaats has enforced strict listing rules to ensure that animal welfare standards are met and has a strong focus on education and guidance for its users.
INVESTMENT
The acquisition will see Pet Media Group (PMG) significantly investing in Puppyplaats.nl, building its products and services and rolling out the Pet Media Group technology platform to the Dutch market.
Axel Lagercrantz, co-founder and CEO of PMG, said: “Our latest acquisition again cements Pet Media Group’s position as the world’s leading operator of pet and equestrian related marketplaces, with the Group now helping more than 10 million people find new animal companions each month across the UK, Sweden, Italy, and now the Netherlands.
“Through using innovative technology and by attracting the best talent in the industry, we believe that we have swiftly assumed the lead role in the digitalisation of the European pet rehoming mar
ket.”
Erwin van Rijn, founder of Puppyplaats.nl, said: “I am proud of the position that Puppyplaats has managed to achieve as the most trusted and safe environment to rehome puppies in the Netherlands. From the very start of our conversations, I felt there was a strong alignment between Puppyplaats’s animal welfare values and those of Pet Media Group. As such, I feel comfortable about the growth and development of Puppyplaats under its new ownership.”
During 2020, PMG introduced several innovative solutions to facilitate a safe rehoming process, such as digital contract signing, automatic fraud detection, two-step verification of IDs and the first-ever safe deposit functionality to be introduced for a pet marketplace in Europe.
Turnover for the Group has more than doubled each year since inception in 2018 and saw an increase of 200% from £0.5m in Q1 2020 to £1.5m in Q1 2021.
“The introduction of our safe deposit service is a testament to how technology can facilitate a transaction which historically has taken place in person. Over the coming year, we look forward to introducing our technology to Dutch consumers.” said Eyass Shakrah, co-founder of PMG.
