PRESS RELEASE
10 May 2007
Roularta and Rossel create together Vlan.be
Roularta Media Group and the ROSSEL Group (vlan) announce that they are partnering to create a national, bilingual classified ads website, Vlan.be.The Dutch language classified ads site, easy.be, will be rechristened “vlan.be” from 12 May 2007.
The choice of a single name points to a real desire to strengthen the position on the Belgian market. Vlan.be will stand for a single, large national site, the largest classified ads site for Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia. Vlan.be gives us the verb ‘to vlan’, that is to find fast. Vlan.be: he who seeks, vlans! And he who vlans, finds.
The primary intention of this cooperation is to grow vlan.be into the leading force on the internet classified ads market, in the same way as the two press groups lead the Belgian market for paper publications.
Together the two sites host over 60,000 visitors every day. The idea is for this number to rise quickly so that everyone in Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia can “vlan” and rapidly find their dream home, dream car and dream job and much more besides. Recently both sites have seen their visitor numbers grow by up to +30%.
Vlan.be will remain in the first instance a classified ads site, but will also use internet technologies (RSS feed) to offer information derived from the two press groups’ various internet sites. The idea here is to generate traffic between the sites and to build further on the group’s content.
To make sure everything runs smoothly, the two press groups have put together a specialist team that has acquired over the years considerable know-how of the internet market in general and the Belgian market in particular.
Surfers can use Vlan.be to find real estate, new and second hand cars, jobs and miscellaneous items.
Vlan.be is the site with over 65,000 property ads with photos – houses for sale, apartments to let, etc. in Belgium. A portion of these ads can also be found by region in the two press groups’ paper editions (De Streekkrant, De Zondag, Vlan, 7 Dimanche). A fast, efficient search engine directs users to real estate offered by real estate brokers, notaries and private individuals. Real estate specialists will continue to have a chance to make the difference, with the striking subscription packages again available on Vlan.be.
Vlan.be is also the site with over 18,000 ads for new and second-hand cars of every kind.A high performance search engine guarantees fast, accurate searching for cars on sale across Belgium. This offering of new and second hand cars can also be published in both press groups’ paper editions.
In cooperation with the Flemish government employment office VDAB, Vlan.be will also carry over 50,000 job vacancies in Belgium.
Vlan.be is the start of a totally new approach that will be extended with competitions, articles on vacations, building and renovating, a fait diverssection, gastronomy, etc.Vlan.be will be not just a classified ads site, but a site when one can find the information one’s looking for.
Vlan.be, the largest classified ads site for Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia.
He who seeks vlans. He who vlans, finds.”
Contact persons
/ Rik De Nolf / Paul CallebautManaging Director / Managing Director
Roularta Media Group / Groupe Rossel (Vlan)
Tel: / + 32 51 266 323 / +32 2 730 35 02
Fax: / + 32 51 266 593 / +32 2 730 35 23
e-mail: / /
URL: / /