£1.1m Investment in Jetweb

NewMedia SPARK PLC 23 February 2000 NewMedia SPARK invests £1.1 million in Jetweb.se NewMedia SPARK plc ('SPARK') announces that it has agreed to invest SEK 15,000,000 (approximately £1,100,000) for a 30% stake in Jetweb.se ('Jetweb'), an online youth travel agent based in Stockholm. Jetweb is SPARK's third investment in the Nordic region in recent weeks. Jetweb is an internet-based travel market where travel companies can sell excess capacity to youth travellers. Jetweb sells non-restrictive one-way airfares using a flexible pricing model to secure a minimum of restrictions and the lowest possible price to its customer. To date, Jetweb has negotiated special fares contracts with several major airlines including Ryanair, KLM and BA, and is already operational in Sweden where it is selling a substantial number of tickets. Jetweb also sells inexpensive hotel accommodation and plans to include other travel-related products such as tickets to major events. Jetweb is one of only two Swedish online travel agents with full IATA rights. The monies raised through this investment will be used for marketing and international expansion. Jetweb plans to roll out its products to over 15 European markets starting with the Nordic region and the UK. In the near future, Jetweb also plans to target other market segments including Senior Citizens and SME business travellers. Commenting on the investment, Michael Whitaker, CEO of SPARK, said: 'We are very pleased to have had the opportunity of investing in Jetweb. Although the online travel market is becoming increasingly competitive, we are confident that Jetweb will achieve its growth targets, principally because of the management's industry experience, which we have been extremely impressed with, but also because this view has been confirmed by major airlines. Furthermore, online competition in this specialist segment from airlines, existing youth travel agents and other online travel agents is limited. In terms of market potential, the youth air travel market is one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the market. 'We are presently investigating a number of further investments in the Nordic region, and we look forward to further strengthening our presence in these markets.' Per Hultman, CEO and Co-founder of Jetweb, said: 'We chose SPARK as a key strategic investor due to their extensive skill sets and contact base in the Internet market. We firmly believe that they will be able to contribute with Internet know-how and experience from financial markets and help us with our international expansion'. Jakob Kinde, Head of Nordic operations at NewMedia Investors Ltd, will join the Jetweb board on behalf of SPARK. Jetweb is the seventeenth investment by NewMedia SPARK since its shares began trading on the Alternative Investment Market on 28th October 1999. For further information: - Mike Whitaker: NewMedia SPARK Tel No: +44 171 851 7777 - Lisa Baderoon: Buchanan Communications Tel No: + 44 171 466 5120
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