AVIV Group Sells Israeli Classifieds Brand Yad2 to Apax Partners for $950M

Apax Partners has signed a deal to acquire Israeli horizontal marketplace Yad2 from KKR for around $950 million, according to local reports, bringing one of 2025’s most closely watched classifieds auctions to a conclusion after a fast run process managed by Citi and Barclays.

Yad2 is Israel’s leading general classifieds platform, spanning real estate, autos, jobs and second-hand goods. Recent sale documents seen by bidders showed projected 2025 revenues of about €83 million and adjusted EBITDA of €37 million, with real estate contributing 56% of revenue, followed by autos at 27% and jobs at 15%.

Private equity firm KKR only gained full control of Yad2 in March 2025 via the carve-out of Axel Springer’s digital assets. Through that deal, KKR acquired a majority stake in Axel Springer's AVIV Group, which also operates Seloger in France, Immoweb in Belgium and Immowelt in Germany. Axel Springer had originally acquired Yad2 from Walla in 2014 for around NIS 800 million.

KKR initially sought a valuation of $1.0 billion to $1.2 billion for Yad2 and drew bids from CVC, Blackstone, Francisco Partners, Apax and Warburg Pincus before talks narrowed to Apax and Blackstone in recent weeks. The agreed $950 million price implies a healthy, albeit slightly discounted, outcome versus the top-of-range expectations reported earlier this autumn.

For Apax, Yad2 fits neatly into a long-running classifieds playbook. The firm has previously backed Baltic Classifieds Group, now a London-listed operator in the Baltics, as well as New Zealand’s Trade Me, acquired in a NZ$2.56 billion take-private in 2019. The firm also maintains a small stake in Idealista.

The losing suitor, Blackstone, already sits at the centre of Europe’s classifieds map via its joint ownership of Adevinta alongside Permira, a portfolio that includes brands such as Leboncoin in France and Mobile.de in Germany, and is in the midst of a multi-asset break-up and IPO programme. Yad2 would have extended that footprint into Israel, complementing recent Middle Eastern exposure via Property Finder, but instead it will land in the hands of a rival private equity specialist.