CARMEL, Ind. - KAR Auction Services, Inc. announced today that its subsidiary, ADESA, Inc., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the equity of OPENLANE, Inc., a leading Internet-based business-to-business automotive remarketing company. Peter Kelly will continue as OPENLANE's CEO and will report directly to KAR's CEO, Jim Hallett. OPENLANE will be acquired for $210 million in cash, plus an increase for excess cash on OPENLANE's balance sheet at closing. The transaction's closing is subject to certain regulatory and other closing conditions. The Company expects to finance the transaction with available cash and proceeds from its revolving credit facility.
In 2011, KAR expects that OPENLANE will generate approximately $100 million in revenue and sell over 300,000 vehicles to automotive dealers through its online auction services platform. After giving pro forma effect to this acquisition and the elimination of certain corporate costs, KAR expects OPENLANE's pro forma Adjusted EBITDA in 2011 to be approximately $13 million. KAR anticipates that OPENLANE will contribute $20 to $25 million of Adjusted EBITDA in 2012 which reflects synergies expected to be realized upon the integration of the businesses. In addition, KAR expects OPENLANE's Adjusted EBITDA to further improve following completion of all integration activities in 2013.
Commenting on the acquisition, Jim Hallett stated, "OPENLANE is a natural fit for the KAR family of companies as it extends our online product offerings, provides a complementary customer base and adds talented members to our management team. Sellers and purchasers of vehicles continue to increase their use of online remarketing platforms, and we believe that enhancing our existing suite of online services and products will further support KAR's objective of expanding our addressable market to capture transactions that currently take place outside the traditional wholesale auction channel. This combination will allow ADESA to broaden its comprehensive end-to-end solutions for the vehicle remarketing industry and will provide opportunities for our sister companies, Insurance Auto Auctions and AFC."
Commenting on behalf of OPENLANE, Peter Kelly stated, "I consider this a great combination that will significantly benefit our customers and the industry. Joining KAR will provide OPENLANE with the resources to accelerate the execution of our strategy and to deliver innovative remarketing solutions to the industry. I am looking forward to working with Jim and joining the KAR management team."
Hallett continued, "I have known Peter and members of his management team for a number of years and have always believed that OPENLANE would be a good cultural fit with KAR. I look forward to Peter and his team contributing to KAR's success."
