Scout24 says it's looking into eBay's classifieds operation

German car and real estate marketplace, Scout24, has recently claimed to be interested in acquiring eBay's classifieds business if it chooses to sell which has been something on the back burning of the online marketplace since its activist investors started pushing for that move.

"That is a concrete example we are looking at,” CEO Tobias Hartmann told journalists after Scout24 reported double-digit growth in revenue and profits last year.

Scout24 is itself the target of a 5.7 billion euro ($6.4 billion) friendly takeover by private equity firms Hellman & Friedman and Blackstone amid churn in the classifieds sector as players seek scale.

CFO Christian Gisy said Scout24 expected a formal offer from the private-equity buyers within days. Scout24’s share price trades just a shade over the 46 euro offer price, suggesting the market expects the deal to go through.

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