Transaction Summary

  • On 19 September 2014, controlling stake in Italy’s top price comparison website Facile.it was sold to Oakley Capital Private Equity (“OCPE”)
  • OCPE will help Facile.it expand its operations and accelerate business development
  • Facile.it joins Oakley’s portfolio of leading online brands which already includes German price comparison website Verivox

Overview of Facile.it

  • Founded in April 2008, Facile.it is Italy’s #1 destination for consumers to make informed decisions about their motor insurance, household expenses and personal finance
  • With a portfolio of gross written premia of €260m and over 580k clients Facile.it is by far the country’s largest (online and offline) motor insurance broker
  • Its strong insurance position is increasingly leveraged in other related verticals like ADSL, Gas & Power, Bank Accounts and, from mid-2014, also Cellular contracts
  • Well-known household brand with 80% (prompted) brand recognition and 20% “top of mind” (twice that of the nearest competitor)
  • Average of 1.4m unique visitors and 2.1m visits per month
  • Expects to achieve over €35m of revenues and over €8m of EBITDA in 2014E
  • Milan-based company employs 126 people and is run by a highly experienced management team led by CEO Mauro Giacobbe

NOAH Advisors’ Role

  • NOAH Advisors acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Facile.it and its shareholders, exploring options with a number of strategic and financial investors
  • Facile.it has been in a close relationship of NOAH Advisors for a number of years and has presented at the NOAH Conference 2012 & 2013
  • Chiomenti Studio Legale (Milan and London offices) acted as legal advisor to Facile.it’s shareholders