Oakley Capital Investments (OCI) has announced that Oakley Capital Private Equity III (Fund III) has reached an agreement to sell a majority stake in atHome Group (atHome), a leading online classifieds and mortgage broking business in Luxembourg, to Mayfair Equity Partners (Mayfair), a UK based buyout and growth capital investor. Following the transaction, Fund III will retain a minority stake in the business.
- Fund III originally invested in atHome in 2017, as part of the acquisition of a portfolio of classifieds businesses, which comprised Casa.it in Italy and atHome.lu in Luxembourg;
- Under Oakley’s ownership, atHome has successfully consolidated its leading market position in its core property classifieds market, whilst expanding into mortgage broking and automotive classifieds through strategic bolt-on acquisitions; and
- Over the three years of Oakley’s investment, atHome has increased EBITDA by over 80% and its websites are among the most visited in Luxembourg.
OCI’s share of proceeds from this transaction will be approximately £15m. The sale represents an uplift of 3 pence to the company’s NAV per share at 31 December 2019.
Following the transaction, Fund III will retain its stake in Casa, which OCI says continues to benefit from the growth in the Italian online property classifieds sector, as well as a minority stake in atHome. The partnership with Mayfair and the existing management team will allow Fund III to participate in the future growth of atHome as it continues to expand on its market leading offering to consumers and customers, and deliver growth across its core property, mortgage and automotive verticals.
OCI: Oakley Capital Investments announces sale of Luxembourg-based online classifieds and mortgage broking business