Actiepagina, a publisher of web-based vouchers in the Netherlands, has been purchased by RetailMeNot, the new corporate name for WhaleShark Media. Online reports estimate the acquisition cost RetailMeNot in the region of $10 million.
Founder of Actiepagina, Maurice Buijs, will continue as general manager of RetailMeNot’s Dutch operations. All full-time staff will be transitioned to RetailMeNot, which brings the company’s total global headcount to approximately 330.
The Dutch coupon provider will join several other European voucher sites that are already under RetailMeNot’s umbrella. The American company owns VoucherCodes.co.uk in the UK, Bons-de-Reduction and Poulpeo in France and Deals.com in Germany.
Bright Future for Actiepagina
Bujis sees only good things for the future of the Dutch money-saving market now that Actiepagina is part of the RetailMeNot burgeoning portfolio of web properties. He also revealed how he’s looking to improve the whole experience for consumers off the back of the merger.
“Our new relationship with RetailMeNot Inc will benefit both consumers and merchants alike as we invest in the Dutch market to improve the quality of Actiepagina’s user experience and increase the quantity of great offers that will help drive sales for online merchants in the Netherlands,” Bujis said.
The new name’s origin likely stems from then WhaleShark Media’s purchase of Australian outfit, RetailMeNot, in 2010 for a fee thought to be $90 million. The brand was then rolled out in the US and has seen great success, according to Cotter Cunningham, CEO and founder of RetailMeNot.
“Since we acquired RetailMeNot.com in 2010, we have grown it into the leading online coupon website in the US and the flagship site within our international portfolio,” Cunningham said. “RetailMeNot’s mission is to operate websites that are leading destinations for consumers globally who seek coupons and deals.”