The growing importance of Marketplaces: ‘The quality of our revenue is high’

Quickly doubling 

“Mediahuis in miniature”, that's how Xavier van Leeuwe describes Marketplaces, which has now realized eight participations and five acquisitions to reach 25 brands in eight countries. The investments are mainly focused on what he calls “beer-drinking countries”: Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Finland and Sweden. The marketplaces are divided into four core sectors: housing, comparison sites, cars and jobs.

While Xavier calls Marketplaces “Mediahuis in miniature” for now, he has grand plans: “The profitability of Mediahuis Marketplaces in 2024 is 2.5 times greater than in 2020, and in the coming years we’re aiming to double that again.”

The essence is connecting supply and demand. “We already know that from the newspapers,” says Xavier. “For example, the ads on the Speurders platform or the classifieds. That’s all digitised now. Mediahuis has made quite a few acquisitions in recent years, and many of those companies had one or more marketplaces. They have been brought together under one roof, and I’ve been given the key.”

Evergreens & rising stars

Why does a media company choose to invest in marketplaces? Xavier is clear: “We don’t want to put all our eggs in one basket. We want to spread risk, or, to use a fancier word: diversify. Then you are less dependent on trends in subscriptions and advertisements. Moreover, we have a historical position in marketplaces from the newspaper. What we are doing now is specialising more and more in it.”

The Mediahuis Marketplaces portfolio consists of 17 evergreens and eight winners of the future, as Xavier describes them. “Those evergreens are already profitable and almost all show revenue growth. In addition, we invest in start-ups that we strongly believe in. We want to create a self-fulfilling effect: a lot of supply attracts many consumers, which in turn attracts more business customers, who then put more supply online. In addition, we want to continuously improve the service for real estate agents, recruiters and dealers, to make their lives easier.”

The profitability of Marketplaces is almost 10% of Mediahuis’ profit. “More and more people are joining us,” says Xavier with pride. “This lays a solid financial foundation for Mediahuis. The quality of the revenue is high; we even have a platform that achieves a 50% return! I feel the responsibility to keep Mediahuis healthy, even the day after tomorrow. Mediahuis Marketplaces is there to increase profitability in the long term.”

Not a trophy but a licence 

In 2024, Mediahuis Marketplaces successfully integrated a series of important acquisitions. “You could see an acquisition as a hunting trophy that you proudly hang on the wall, but I see it more as a hunting licence. The integration within Mediahuis is when it really starts.”

Even with trophies in hand, Xavier isn’t resting on his laurels. “Everyone wants a piece of the pie. In our industry, there are three types of brands: the leaders, the challengers and the winners of the future. Well-known leaders are the likes of Funda, Immoweb and Indeed. There is hardly any real estate agent or recruiter who doesn’t use them. We are mainly among the challengers, so we have to be smart to grow into leadership. That means we have to work even harder.

“I see Mediahuis Marketplaces as an octopus. We are penetrating deeper and deeper into the world of real estate agents, car dealers and recruiters with our tentacles. If you want to upload a car for sale in Ireland, it goes through our system. If a dealer wants a website there, we make it. And data about the cars? You can request that from us. We have to keep the brands big and the platforms attractive for consumers. Our marketing, IT and sales departments have to work very hard, but otherwise, you get overtaken.”

Many irons in the fire 

It is clear that Mediahuis Marketplaces has already achieved a lot, but Xavier remains grounded and is focused on achieving even better results. “I want to double that almost 10% profitability in the long term. In 2025, I hope that Mediahuis Marketplaces will reach 30 brands. We have many irons in the fire; many potential acquisitions are waiting.”

Acquisition or investment in a start-up doesn’t come from nowhere. Xavier explains how Mediahuis arrived at the eight “winners of the future” in its portfolio. “We had almost 3,000 European companies on the radar in property tech and recruitment tech. We went through that entire list to focus on a few and fully scrutinise and assess their potential. That’s how the eight winners emerged.”

Two examples of such pearls are WorkerHero in Germany and the Swedish Impactpool. Both companies have a completely new model focused on profile building and ensure that employers in sectors where it is difficult to find staff get more suitable candidates.

Support from shareholders 

When asked about the obstacles on the way up, Xavier takes a different path. “I prefer to emphasise what is going well. We get a lot of attention from our shareholders. They know what we are doing and offer us lots of opportunities and support with acquisitions. They see the value!”

He also recognises the challenges. “A small acquisition is as much work as a large one. So you might as well go for the big acquisitions. But of course, there are many competitors, often with lots of money. So we have to find a way to get in. We do that on a relationship level and with our expertise. We don’t storm into a company like the Wolf of Wall Street. We support the management, and companies enjoy talking to us.”

Mediahuis maintains high standards in all areas, and Xavier sees that too. “We have to continuously innovate, stay relevant and keep our service and system security high. Rightly so. We operate in markets that are essential for consumers. Housing, work, cars: these are often life-changing moments. And we help people make those decisions. Having an impact on consumers aligns very well with a company like Mediahuis.” 

Hunting for opportunities for Mediahuis Marketplaces in multiple countries makes Xavier’s work challenging, but he clearly enjoys it. “Every country has its own rules and dynamics, which can sometimes be quite challenging. Yes, I am often abroad, and there can be hectic days in between. And I have a family. In any case, I’m never bored. And that’s a good thing! I’m someone who doesn’t like to be bored.” 

Automotive

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Recruitment

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Housing

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Comparison