Data giant Experian has established a beachhead in the French commercial e-mail market with the acquisition of service provider Emailing Solution.
The acquisition — announced Thursday — is the second Internet-marketing-related buy for Experian in the last two weeks. Experian on April 19 acquired online marketing intelligence concern Hitwise for $240 million.
Terms were not disclosed.
According to a release, Emailing Solution’s sales in the 12 months prior to Dec. 2006 were a little more than $5.4 million.
The company has about 60 employees and there will be no layoffs, according to Matthew Seeley, president of Experian’s e-mail unit, CheetahMail.
The acquisition gives CheetahMail a presence in Europe’s third largest, but fastest-growing market for commercial e-mail, according to Seeley.
“We have a couple of French deals, but to be honest, it’s hard to break into that market,” said Seeley. “It’s one of the fastest growing markets in Europe, and we have deals there but we’re not a player. … If you want to enter the French market, you’ve got to be local.”
Emailing Solution’s clients include Orange [France Telecom], Staples and Hewlett Packard.
“Their clients are predominantly French companies, but they’ve got a couple of global U.S. companies, as well,” said Seeley.
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