France: French home exchange platform HomeExchange has made its second acquisition in the space of a matter of weeks with the purchase of home-sharing network My weekend for you, based in Southeastern France.
Having launched in 2017, My weekend for you now has more than 37,000 followers in around 30 countries worldwide, with over 1,200 hosts opening their doors to travellers. The company’s founding principle is to allow its members to welcome travellers to their homes for free over a weekend, giving them the opportunity to discover their region.
The platform’s hosts are encouraged to create strong links with their guests, allowing them to take part in activities ranging from hiking to biking, cycling, cultural trips, sporting event trips and more.
The Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to many of the activities listed on My weekend for you, which by that point had already recorded 1000+ guest stays over weekends.
Benoit Fahy, co-founder and CEO of My weekend for you, said: “This merger is an opportunity for our members to benefit from privileged access to the HomeExchange platform. This allows us to extend this beautiful spirit of sharing that unites our members with a solid community and at the same time, a great French entrepreneurial success.”
Charles-Edouard Girard, co-founder of HomeExchange, said: “We are proud and eager to welcome My weekend for you members to the HomeExchange community. The objective is to offer them the possibility of discovering new horizons, thanks to our large network of more than 110,000 members that are present in over 130 countries.”
Earlier this month, HomeExchange, part of the Tukazza Group, purchased British competitor Love Home Swap for an undisclosed fee. The transaction is set to enable the company to strengthen its position in the UK, the United States and Australia, and expand its current base of approximately 108,000 members.
To date, HomeExchange has raised around €54 million in funding since its inception. HomeExchange recorded 225,000 home exchanges in the whole of 2022, amounting to 3.7 million exchange nights booked – a 32 per cent rise on 2019 figures prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, a spokesperson told Le Figaro.
Last summer, the startup quietly raised €4 million to grow its presence in France. At the end of 2021, HomeExchange also launched sister brand HomeExchange Collection, which now supports 400 members and specialises in the exchange of high-end home swaps.
