Amsterdam-based OLX, an online classifieds platform wholly owned by Prosus, announced it has agreed to acquire La Centrale, a French autos classifieds platform, from Providence Equity Partners in an all-cash deal for €1.1B.
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The recent acquisition allows OLX to enter Western Europe and the French automotive market.
By integrating OLX’s resources and technology with La Centrale’s local knowledge and brand, Prosus’s subsidiary aims to attract more dealers, expand partnerships, improve customer experience, and increase revenue.
The acquisition comes at a time when La Centrale’s leadership has undergone a restructuring, strengthening its technology, user experience and overall market position.
As a result of restructuring, the French company witnessed an improved financial performance with classifieds revenues growing at a 12 per cent CAGR.
On the other hand, OLX group appointed Christian Gisy as its new CEO back in June,
Tapping the European e-commerce system
While the French car market is healthy and resilient, professional dealers currently account for 36 per cent of used car sales, compared with ~70 per cent in Germany, and the average value per dealer transaction sits below European benchmarks, reports the company.
At the same time, margins on new cars are tightening, and EV adoption is reshaping supply.
As a result, the company says consumers are increasingly turning to trusted digital platforms for transparency and choice.
In this case, Prosus, along with OLX, aims to leverage classifieds platforms like La Centrale to capture this opportunity by connecting professional sellers with buyers.
The acquisition further strengthens Prosus’s ambition to build a European e-commerce ecosystem.
Acquisition amid strong financial results
The acquisition comes at a time when the OLX Group reported strong financial results for fiscal year 2025.
The company earned $777M (approximately €665M) in revenue, an 18 per cent increase from the previous year.
Adjusted EBIT (aEBIT) was $270M (approximately €231M), reflecting a 61 per cent increase in local currency compared to last year, with an aEBIT margin of 35 per cent, up from 25 per cent in FY24.
This success was mainly driven by key categories: Motors, Real Estate, and Jobs, in its fastest-growing markets.
OLX is also focusing on improving customer and user experience by investing in advanced AI solutions.
La Centrale: French vertical motors marketplace
Based out of Paris, La Centrale is a vertical motors marketplace designed for buying and selling cars in France, focusing on higher-value vehicles with both sellers and buyers.
The platform has strong brand recognition with around 4.5 million unique visitors each month and approximately 350,000 listings.
At present, the company supports more than 10,000 automotive professionals with powerful SaaS tools, including its Pilot suite, to optimise pricing, sourcing, and stock management.
“La Centrale has long been a trusted destination for dealers and consumers in France,” says 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.”
OLX: Online marketplaces for houses and more
OLX runs online marketplaces with 29M monthly users in eight countries, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe.
OLX enable buyers to afford things they would not usually buy as new, and to enable sellers to make extra cash and generate their own revenue stream.
Every month, OLX platforms display more than 73M active listings, with more than 13M people posting items for sale.
The company currently serves over 10M people across Europe and South Africa every month to sell and buy cars, find housing, get jobs, buy and sell household goods, and much more.
”La Centrale is a natural fit within our classifieds portfolio,” comments 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.”
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