Germany: Alternative accommodation marketplace HomeToGo is set to grow its operations in France after announcing the acquisition of AMIVAC, the vacation rental business unit of Groupe SeLoger, which operates brands such as amivac.com, vacances.com and vacances.seloger.com.
The acquired brands operated by AMIVAC provide subscription listing services for homeowners and professional agencies alike, which will drive growth for HomeToGo’s Subscription & Services platform. The sale forms part of Groupe SeLoger’s strategy to focus on its core real estate search business.
The acquisition of the three brands – which will continue to operate under their independent identities – was finalised on 1 January after being signed back in August.
Dr Patrick Andrae, co-founder and CEO, HomeToGo, said: “We are very excited to add Groupe SeLoger’s vacation rental unit to our portfolio, which will give AMIVAC’s customers and professional agencies an added benefit of the advanced technology solutions that HomeToGo offers, while also serving our customers with an expanded offering of unique, high-quality vacation rentals in France. The vacation rental market is incredibly fragmented in both France and internationally, yet rapidly evolving and accelerating in growth with the tailwinds experienced by the pandemic.
“The combination of AMIVAC’s already high brand awareness and our global reach brings an incredible opportunity for both our newly acquired partners and our business as we look ahead to the future,” he added.
Caroline de Gantès, country managing director, Groupe SeLoger, said: “Groupe SeLoger’s strategy is to focus on its core business – simplifying and improving real estate search – to improve the property buying, renting, and selling experience for all in France. We are convinced that with the ongoing consolidation of the vacation rental market in France and abroad, HomeToGo’s leading stature in the alternative accommodation industry offers compelling new opportunities for the Amivac, SeLoger Vacances and Vacances.com brands.”
Operating 11 specialty online platforms, Paris-based Groupe SeLoger aims to offer a modern real estate search experience by using a data-led, personalised approach to better serve its customers and enable the buying, selling or renting of properties more seamlessly.
It marks HomeToGo’s first major acquisition since going public last year on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in a €1.2 billion [$1.41 billion] transaction. The company manages localised websites and apps in 23 countries.
