EBay Acquires European Classified Sites

EBay Inc. has acquired two European classified ads sites, a continuation of the online auction company's international expansion.

The online auction company said its international classifieds group Kijiji had bought London-based Gumtree.com and Loquo.com, based in Barcelona, Spain. Financial terms were not disclosed, but EBay said the acquisitions were not expected to have an impact on its 2005 revenues or earnings.

Gumtree.com, which offers lists on apartment rentals, jobs and goods and services, has sites that cover cities in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, EBay said. Loquo.com is "community-focused" focused site, specializing in housing, personals, employment and items for sale. Loquo.com covers multiple cities in Spain, as well as in other European countries.

"This is an important step forward in our strategy to expand our global portfolio of web sites," Alex Kazim, senior vice president of new ventures at EBay, said in a statement released this week.