Autotrader

 

Auto Trader Group plc is a British automotive classified advertising business. It specialises in new and second hand automotive sales, including cars sold by private sellers and trade dealers. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Auto Trader was founded in 1975 by John Madejski. Madejski brought this idea back from the United States, and set up the business with Paul Gibbons in 1977. The first Auto Trader to be established was Hurst's Thames Valley Trader in 1977. BC Partners bought a stake in the business from John Madejski in July 1998 for £260m; then Guardian Media Group, who had acquired Automart in 1982, merged that business with Hurst Publishing in May 2000 so creating Trader Media.  In January 2014, Apax Partners bought the business from Guardian Media Group for £600m. In March 2014, the company re branded, and became known as Auto Trader and in March 2015, Auto Trader Group launched an initial public offering, with a market capitalisation of about £2bn.The magazine circulation peaked at 368,000 in January 2000, dropping to an average of 27,000 copies in March 2013. In June 2013, after thirty six years, the final editions of the printed magazine were published, with the company concentrating on its online business. Autotrader.co.uk was launched in 1996, allowing users to buy or sell a car online. The site lets users search for cars and other motor vehicles using their postcode. Autotrader.co.uk is the busiest automotive web site in the United Kingdom, which attracts some 10.3 million unique users per month.