REG - Prosus NV Naspers Limited - Prosus to acquire Despegar for US$1.7bn

Prosus NVAnnouncement

23/12/2024 11:30

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RNS Number : 1391R  Prosus NV  23 December 2024

Prosus N.V.

(Incorporated in the Netherlands)

(Legal Entity Identifier: 635400Z5LQ5F9OLVT688)

AEX and JSE Share Code: PRX ISIN: NL0013654783

(Prosus)

Prosus to acquire Latin America's Leading Online Travel Agency, Despegar, for
US$1.7bn

Prosus, a global technology company, today announces that it has entered into
a definitive agreement to acquire Despegar (NYSE: DESP) a leading Latin
American Online Travel Agency (OTA), for $19.50 per share, equating to a 33%
premium to the closing share price as of 20 December 2024, and a 34% premium
to Despegar's 90-day VWAP (volume weighted average price). The proposed
transaction was approved by Despegar's board of directors, who recommended
that Despegar shareholders vote in favour of the proposed transaction
following the unanimous recommendation by a transaction committee.

The transaction introduces a significant and compelling addition to Prosus's
Latin America ecosystem, which, post-transaction, will expand to serve over
100 million customers across local e-commerce, travel, and fintech sectors.

Fabricio Bloisi, CEO of Prosus Group said:

"This acquisition is a clear demonstration of our strategy to build value by
creating a high-quality ecosystem of complementary businesses. Despegar is a
highly profitable company, with an attractive market position, and an
experienced management team - making it a natural addition to our presence in
Latin America. We will accelerate Despegar's growth by leveraging the
extensive customer touchpoints within our portfolio, along with our
operational expertise and advanced AI capabilities."

Damián Scokin, CEO of Despegar said:

"This is an exciting development that delivers a great outcome for Despegar
stakeholders. The transaction represents significant value for our
stockholders, and I am convinced that Prosus is the ideal partner to drive our
next phase of growth. For our customers, this means access to an expanded
portfolio of services, better experiences, greater loyalty benefits and more
complete solutions tailored to their needs. Prosus has a proven track record
of building leading tech businesses across the world, and their deep
understanding of the Latin American ecosystem uniquely positions them to drive
our next phase of growth."

Despegar operates in over 19 Latin American markets, serving customers through
two primary business models: an omnichannel B2C platform that connects with
users via the web, mobile app, and conversational channels powered by the
company's AI assistant, Sofia; and a rapidly expanding B2B segment that offers
white-label solutions to partners such as banks, airlines, and retailers.

Over the past two decades, Despegar has developed and grown into a sector
leader with a proven and scalable business model. The company handles over 9.5
million transactions annually, generating $5.3 billion in gross bookings, $706
million in revenue, and delivering a reported EBITDA of $116 million based on
its full-year 2023 results.

Founded in Argentina in 1999, the business scaled and expanded throughout the
region before listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2017. Despegar has
become the most recognised travel brand in Latin America and its Decolar brand
is the most recognised brand in its largest market, Brazil.

Prosus sees significant potential in leveraging its extensive consumer
ecosystem in the region to drive user growth and engagement on Despegar, while
introducing new products and services to enhance the platform's value
proposition over time.

Through this acquisition, Prosus plans to create synergies between Despegar
and its other regional businesses, such as iFood, Latin America's leading food
delivery platform with 60 million customers per year, and Sympla, a prominent
events platform.

Fabricio Bloisi added:

"Latin America is a market we know and understand well, with real GDP growth
of 2-3% expected next year and promising medium to long-term prospects.
Coupled with that, online travel is expanding significantly around the world
and the opportunities in the Latin America region give us confidence that we
can work with Despegar to take the business to the next level. This investment
will serve as a powerful example of how we can build value by integrating
businesses into our ecosystem, driving growth, innovation, and lasting
impact."

The transaction has been entered into on terms and conditions customary for
transaction of this nature, and is subject to the customary closing
conditions, including approval by Despegar shareholders and the receipt of
necessary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in Q2 2025. The
purchase consideration will be funded from existing cash resources.

Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC is serving as exclusive financial
advisor to Prosus; Davis Polk is serving as legal counsel to Prosus. Goldman
Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor to the
transaction committee; A&O Shearman is serving as legal counsel to
Despegar.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

23 December 2024

JSE sponsor to Prosus

Investec Bank Limited

 

Enquiries

 Eoin Ryan                                                             Tel: +1 347 210 4305

Head of Investor Relations

Email: eoin.ryan@prosus.com (mailto:eoin.ryan@prosus.com)
 Nicola McGowan                                                        Tel: +44 7563 257 245
 Chief Communications Officer

Email: nicola.mcgowan@prosus.com (mailto:nicola.mcgowan@prosus.com)
 Sibusiso Tshabalala                                                   Tel: +27 81 431 4855
 Head of Communications, South Africa

Email: sibusiso.tshabalala@naspers.com

 

About Prosus

Prosus is a global technology company, unlocking an AI-first world for our 2
billion customers.  With investments in more than 100 companies across the
world, we are building local ecommerce champions in growth markets.

With leading positions in Food Delivery, Classifieds and Fintech, Prosus has
created its own unique technology ecosystem, driving innovation, knowledge
sharing and growth across our portfolio.

Through the Prosus Ventures team, the group invests in new technology growth
opportunities within AI, social and ecommerce platforms, fintech, B2B
software, logistics, health, blockchain, agriculture and more.

The team actively backs exceptional entrepreneurs who are using technology to
improve people's everyday lives.

To find out more, please visit www.prosus.com.

 

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