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Archived News - April 2006

Infoserve works with Sky to deliver local search results to UK homes via the television

April 2006

Infoserve is working in partnership with Sky Television to deliver local search results to homes across the UK via the television set.

Infoserve, a key player in the UK local search market, is providing ‘Search Local' — a digital version of its successful online business search facility Infoserve.com — to Sky for members of the public to access on their television screens. ‘Search Local' is part of Sky Interactive's new e-business portal, which bridges the gap between popular Internet services and interactive television. This portal is due for launch next month.

‘Search Local' allows users to access business listings, from florists to accountants, and restaurants to estate agents, and find out about the businesses, their products and services – all by using their television remotes.

“We are delighted to be working with Sky and to be helping the businesses we work with to deliver their message on yet another platform and to a wide audience through our product ‘Search Local',” said Steve Barnes, Infoserve's Managing Director.

“Infoserve specialises in connecting buyers with sellers through local search marketing and this television breakthrough opens up exciting opportunities. Our partnership with Sky brings Infoserve search results directly to over nine million households and 20 million people with over 10 million uses of Sky Interactive services every month: a very valuable marketing platform for the local advertisers we represent.”

The Sky partnership further reinforces Infoserve's strong position in the local search marketing field. It already has the Telegraph, The Daily Mail and This Is London among its portfolio of online strategic partners.

Ian Valentine, Sky Interactive's Technical Alliances Director, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Infoserve as a Sky partner. Infoserve's excellent local business search facility adds value to Sky's offering and is certain to be popular with users of the new portal.”

He added: “The new Sky portal is the first ever interactive television search engine. Its aim is to bring some of the value propositions of the Internet to new audiences, or existing audiences in a new and sometimes more convenient format.”

Infoserve transforms lives

April 2006

Infoserve, a UK local search market leader, is helping enthusiastic and hardworking individuals escape their humdrum jobs and carve out a real career in sales.

It has already transformed the lives of its 130-strong sales team based over two sales operations in Stockton-on-Tees and Leeds. The company, which helps tens of thousands of businesses throughout the country to connect with consumers through its unrivalled range of on and offline local search marketing products, has become the place to work if you want to get ahead in sales.

Its Stockton sales division, established in 2004, has been so successful it has moved to larger premises and now employs an 80-strong team of sales people, and a Leeds sales operation was opened in 2005 and is already having to move to new premises to accommodate its growing team of over 50.

Twenty-two-year-old Myk Baxter from Darlington is a prime example of what a hard-working individual can achieve at Infoserve.

“If you work hard enough then you really can achieve anything you want to at Infoserve,” says Sales Team Leader Myk Baxter, who has been working at Infoserve for 18 months.

“I have had other sales jobs and I guess that's all they were: jobs. Now though I have got a real career, and I know that if I keep working hard my career is just going to get better and better.”

Myk was promoted from media sales executive to team leader within eight months and he believes it has made a huge difference to his career plans.

“To get promoted so quickly shows how much Infoserve values its staff,” he said.

“When I started here I just knew that I wanted to do well, but now I am totally focused on getting into management and I know I can do it if I just keep proving myself.

“Being surrounded by colleagues and bosses who support you and encourage you every step of the way really makes a difference to your career. I have never felt such support in any other job.”

Infoserve is fast establishing itself as a major player in the local search market and has more than trebled its workforce to over 150 in the past 12 months to keep pace with demands for its service. Infoserve's local search partners include The Daily and Sunday Telegraph, The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, This Is London - the website of the Evening Standard, The Metro and the Football League.

Infoserve, founded in 1999, was early to recognise the huge potential of local search. The company has its headquarters in Leeds, at Leeds Bradford International Airport, and has sales operations at Leeds and Stockton-on-Tees.

Infoserve announces AIM flotation

April 2006

Infoserve has announced plans to float on the Alternative Investment Market to fund its expansion and development plans.

The company is seeking to raise £2m in order to expand its sales operations in Leeds and Stockton-on-Tees, invest in further software development and repay existing debt.

Chief Executive Steve Barnes said: “Our aim is to become the market-leading local search company in the UK. To achieve our vision, we are constantly developing our new technology.

“We believe that we already have the most comprehensive local business data, comprising over 2.7 million UK businesses, together with excellent technology.”

Founded in 1999, Infoserve is also planning to increase its sales workforce from 120 people to 300 people over the next 18 months, and in turn increase the number of customers from the current 11,000 to 80,000.

Infoserve, whose partners include Sky, the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, and the Football League, provides a highly developed range of online products that allow consumers to search for local businesses.

Steve said: “By entering simple search terms such as ‘accountants in Leeds', ‘florists in Bristol', or alternative medicine in Nottingham', customers are able to identify the details of all the suppliers of that particular product or service.”

Infoserve Ltd. Registered in England & Wales, Number 5750143. Registered Office: South Side Aviation, Leeds Bradford Int'l Airport, Leeds, LS19 7UG
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