Care.com, an online service that connects families with care providers, announced on Wednesday it has created the world’s largest online care destination after acquiring Besser Betreut GmbH, Europe’s largest online destination for care and service providers.
Betreut is based in Berlin, Germany and will become one of Care.com’s operating units. It will continue under its current name but will serve as Care.com’s European hub under the Care.com Europe banner.
Founder Steffen Zoller and Manuel Nothelfer, the site’s co-CEOs, will continue to manage the organization and will report to Ted Preston, General Manager, International and SVP of Operations for Care.com.
“We have always believed that care is a global issue. By bringing together Betreut and its extensive international operations with Care.com, our leadership position in the U.S., and our new operations in the U.K. and Canada, we are creating a dynamic portal for families around the world that provides best-in-class services to help families find the local care they need,” said Sheila Lirio Marcelo, founder and CEO of Care.com, in a statement about the acquisition.
“We’re always open to strategic opportunities that we believe will grow our business and we’ve made no secret about our plans to continue to grow internationally,” Liro Marcelo said to SHN, citing the company’s United Kingdom launch in April and the Canadian launch earlier this month.
Betreut’s European footprint and its leadership in Germany—which happens to be the largest market in continental Europe—was “strategically compelling,” she adds, as was the concept of creating the world’s largest online care destination.
“Both Care.com and Betreut were founded on the belief that it simply must be easier for families to find suitable, affordable care,” said Zoller in a statement. “Be it child care, elder care or pet care, the need is universal but the challenges families face in each market can differ. By blending Betreut’s European expertise with Care.com’s U.S. expertise we hope to become even more adept at speaking to each market’s care challenges and providing a solution for care beyond boundaries.”
Terms of the transaction, which has been completed, were not disclosed.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
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