BURLINGTON, Vt. –

Dealer.com management announced late last week a new minority owner will acquire 30 percent stake of the dealer marketing service provider from Yellow Media.

Expected to take that segment of Dealer.com is Apax Partners in a scheduled acquisition that officials believe should close in June pending regulatory approval and other customary conditions.

Dealer.com explained Yellow Media is selling its 30-percent stake in the dealer Web marketing solution provider because of its sale to Trader Corp.
Executives from Dealer.com emphasized the new minority ownership is not expected to impact the daily operations, interactions with customers or employees, or implementation of services.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with Apax as a new business partner and shareowner, as this presents an opportunity to benefit from their business experience and resources as we continue to grow our operations,” stated Mark Bonfigli, chief executive officer of Dealer.com.

“We greatly appreciate everything that Yellow Media Inc. has done for us as an investor and have enjoyed working with them tremendously,” Bonfigli added.
Mitch Truwit, a partner at Apax Partners, commented that, “We also look forward to partnering with the founders of Dealer.com and support the business on its strong growth trajectory.

“This is a very exciting online opportunity in a sector that Apax knows very well thanks to our existing investments in Trader Media Group in the U.K., Bankrate in the U.S. and SouFun in China,” Truwit continued.

“We will use this expertise to work with the management of Trader Auto and invest in the heritage AutoTrader brand to realize its full potential and allow it to enhance its leadership position,” he concluded.