US investor Hellman & Friedman is thought to be close to buying the car trading activities of Germany’s online classifieds company Scout24. The deal, not yet finalised, is thought to be worth over €2.5bn with Permira and Apax Partners also participating in the deal.
Scout24 has come under pressure from the activist investor company Elliott which has encouraged the separation of the car business from the property classifieds site. Hellman & Friedman, in conjunction with Blackstone, tried to buy the whole Scout24 business earlier this year, but could not gain shareholder approval.
