Helsingin Sanomat Oy and Igglo Oy have made an agreement on the development, technical platfrom and hosting of Oikotie.fi Asunnot, a online housing portal for consumers and real estate agents. The renewed Oikotie.fi Asunnot service will be launched in early 2009. With this business acquisition, Helsingin Sanomat will also get Igglo's online service, rights to its content and right to use Igglos trademark in Finland. Igglo will close down its real estate agent activites and is negotiating on its sale.
"Through the co-operation with Igglo, we are able to extend our housing business-related product and service range. As a result of the agreement, we will have access to Igglo's innovation skills and product development ideas. This will give us new opportunities for making Oikotie.fi the leading housing business service in Finland, together with the strong printed version in the daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat," says Pekka Soini, President of Helsingin Sanomat Oy.
"Thanks to the silent selling and earmarking concepts developed by Igglo, we will be able to reach those intending to sell and purchase apartments right from the start. Igglo has a good database and picture bank of houses, we intend to make this a nationwide service. In this way, we can provide even better services for both consumer and our real estate business clients," Jarkko Kyttänen, Business Director of Sanoma Marketplaces.
"Igglo's portal servers consumers and real estate agents better when its open for all. This deal enables us to develop the service further and to make it truly value adding for all parties. It is also something that the users have been asking us," explains Director Peter Barkman from Igglo.
"I future, Igglo will focus on its core competence, developing online business and internationalising the service. This transaction provides Igglo with an excellent platform to take the housing portal concept abroad," continues Igglo's Chairman of the Board Jussi Nurmio.
Oikotie.fi is an online marketplace for housing, cars, travel, education and jobs. Oikotie.fi has approximately 320,000 visitors each week. Oikotie.fi and Helsingin Sanomat are part of Sanoma, a division of the SanomaWSOy Group.