International expansion planned by Angie’s List, Servicemagic
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (at the BIA Kelsey Interactive Local Media conference): Look for expansion into Canada and the U.K. next year by Angie’s List, a subscription-based site that focuses on home improvement providers. Competitor Servicemagic, a free competitor, has moved into France and is targeting Germany as its next international expansion country.
Angie’s List founder Angie Hicks today said that the company will use some of its $18 million in new funding (announced this week) to open two offices in Canada and probably one in the U.K. next year. She didn’t say where they would be.
Angie’s List has a very unusual Webby business model, because it charges for access to its listings. It also publishes a print magazine in each of the 120 U.S. markets where it operates, and it sells advertising to contractors and home-service providers that are rated highly by consumers.
Despite the economy, Hicks said Angie’s List is having its best year in advertising revenue, and October was its best month --- because contractors who were highly rated used to be very busy, but are now finding that they need to increase their marketing to stay busy.
Rodney Rice, cochairman of Servicemagic, said his expansion plans were boosted by the international merger-and-acquisitions arm of IAC/InterActiveCorp, its parent company, which helped identify an acquisition target in France and complete the purchase.
