Mediahuis Ireland, the Dutch owner of the Irish Independent and other newspapers, is acquiring the Carzone website from Auto Trader Group plc for €30m.

Mediahuis already owns CarsIreland.ie and Cartell.ie.

Carzone is the second-largest automotive marketplace for retailers and consumers in Ireland and is headquartered in Dublin.

In the year to March 2022, Carzone had turnover of £4.9m, including £4.1m of retailer revenue, and booked an operating profit of £1.3m.

Nathan Coe, CO of Auto Trader, commented: “Carzone has been part of the Auto Trader Group for nearly 20 years, and I want to thank the whole Carzone team for their hard work during that time.

In Association with

“We remain focused on our strategy in the UK, which is to grow our marketplace and establish the products and technology to enable retailers to do more of the car buying journey online, on Auto Trader."

Xavier van Leeuwe, CEO Mediahuis Marketplaces, stated: “The Carzone brand has a long-standing and incredible track record in the Irish automotive space.

“Adding to our existing CarsIreland.ie and Cartell.ie brands, Mediahuis will present an unrivaled offering to the entire Irish motor industry, manufacturers, retailers and consumers alike, allowing us to build the business that will lead the industry in years to come."

Auto Trader listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2015 and is now a member of the FTSE 100 Index.

The Carzone business represents 2.4% of Auto Trader’s annual turnover.