June 29, (THEWILL) – In what can be described as a major business strategy in the auto industry, Nigeria’s leading automotive trading platform for buying, selling and swapping of cars, Cars45 has entered into a merger deal with another auto firm Jiji.
While Cars45 brand provides consumers with the opportunity to buy cars online and offline, Jiji, on the other hand, is reputed to be one of the largest marketplaces for classifieds in Africa.
Chief Executive Officer, Cars45, Soumobroto Ganguly, who disclosed the merger plan at a media parley in Lagos, on Tuesday said that with the new development, car dealers and end-users can now have access to a rich variety of cars that have been properly verified and checked, accompanied by a standard inspection report.
Confirming that there might be a rebranding process, Ganguly said what they are bringing to the market is not just availability but access to cars with the right information such that consumers can make the right decision.
On why they have chosen Jiji to work with, the CEO said “We decided to go into the merger between Cars45 and Jiji because there is a potential in the marriage.
“What we saw in Jiji include: huge amount of database, active users of the database. We are offering the opportunity to engage more users.”
In his remark, Investor Relations Manager, Jiji, Maxim Makarchuk said that Jiji has done very well over the years.
According to Makarchuk, both parties strongly believe and see combining business model as a move that can bring successful results.
He said “We are going to be giving more quality services. We will bring more inspected and more reliable cars for our customers”.
Also speaking, Director, Jiji Africa, Yuliy Shenfeld said that the beauty of the merger is that it will transform the business of buying and selling cars.
“We want to transform the market of buying and selling cars. We also want to close the gap of trust issues in business transactions”, Shenfeld added.
The event was well attended by representatives of both Cars45 and Jiji, including the Vice President, Trade & Business Development, Cars45, Femi Folarin; Vice President, Commercial, Cars45, Patricia Duru, Vice President, Technical Services, Cars45, Pankaj Bohra; Vice President, Central Support Services & People Operations, Cars45, Olajumoke Obembe and Investor Relations Manager amongst others.
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
