Greenpeace still hunting for truly green electronics

TECHNOLOGY
- Infrastructure
  - Network
  - Security
    - Virus
    - Intruder
    - Spyware
    - Spam
    - Theft
    - Disaster Recovery
    - Privacy
    - Regulatory Compliance
  - Client
    - Desktop
    - Laptop
    - Laptop - Macbook
    - PDA
  - Server
    - Load Balancing
  - Mobile
  - Operating Systems
    - Windows
    - Windows - Vista
    - Linux
    - Mac
    - Mac - Leopard
    - Unix
    - Other
  - Data Center
  - Virtualization
- Applications
  - SaaS
  - Cloud Computing
  - ERP
  - CRM
  - BI
  - BPM
  - KM
  - SCM
  - RFID
  - Middleware/EAI
  - Portals
    - B-to-B
    - Consumer
  - Inventory Management
  - Databases
  - Document Management
  - E-Business
  - Data Warehouse
- Development
  - Open Source
  - Eclipse
  - Java
  - .NET
  - Agile
  - Web Services
- Architecture
  - SOA
  - Enterprise Architecture
LEADERSHIP

IT DRILLDOWN

NEWSLETTERS

CIO.com updates, insights and advice on technology, management and your career.

RSS Feeds »

LEADERSHIP

CIO Executive Programs

The Leader in Face-to-Face Education for Senior Executives

Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »

CIO Executive Council

A Peer-Advisory Service and Professional Association for CIOs

Social Responsibility's Strategic Benefits

December 15, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM US/Eastern (GMT-5)

Join Ed Granger-Happ, CIO of Save the Children, for a discussion of how creating an organization that is socially responsible improves staffing, retention, leadership development and overall corporate health.

Working With and Communicating to Your Board of Directors

January 13, 2009, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM US/Eastern (GMT-5)

CIO panelists who will share tips and experiences working with their boards: Twila Day of SYSCO; Jeff O'Hare, West Corp.; Marc West, formerly with H&R Block.

IT's Role in Growing Mid-Market Companies

January 14, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET (GMT-5)

Mid-market Council members will share their companies' stories and challenges in driving or coping with growth. Panelists represent Veterinary Pet Insurance, Medicis Pharmaceutical, and Intrax Cultural Exchange.

More / Register »

Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »

RESOURCE CENTER

buy a link »

SUBSCRIBE TO CIO

Are you involved in setting the direction for your company's IT budget or strategy?

Apply today for a FREE subscription to CIO Magazine!

Subscription Services »

Reprints »

News

Yahoo Sells Off Comparison Shopping Arm Kelkoo

Yahoo has sold Kelkoo, the European comparison shopping service it bought in 2004 -- at a time when Microsoft is busy adding such features to its own search offering. The sale, to U.K. company Jamplant, is the first sign since CEO Jerry Yang stepped down last Monday that Yahoo is refocusing.

Leave a comment

By Peter Sayer

November 24, 2008 — IDG News Service —

Yahoo has sold Kelkoo, the European comparison shopping service it bought in 2004 -- at a time when Microsoft is busy adding such features to its own search offering. The sale, to U.K. company Jamplant, is the first sign since CEO Jerry Yang stepped down last Monday that Yahoo is refocusing.

The deal was sealed on Friday, according to a spokeswoman for Yahoo. She would not say what price Jamplant paid for Kelkoo.

However, Kelkoo founder and former CEO Pierre Chappaz offered an unflattering price comparison in his blog: He said that Kelkoo sold for under ¬100 million (US$125 million), far less than the ¬475 million Yahoo paid for it in March 2004.

The buyer, Jamplant, is a U.K. company created only six weeks ago. Its corporate registration does not list its officers, shareholders or contact details, and Yahoo declined to provide further details.

The divestiture of Kelkoo -- a business Yahoo described Monday as "non-strategic" -- is yet another sign that Yahoo sees the market differently than search rival Microsoft, which in August bolstered its search operations with the acquisition of a European comparison shopping service, Ciao, for $486 million.

Microsoft hopes to use Ciao's comparison shopping features to boost its Live Search offering, which has been steadily losing market share to Google.

Other strategies Microsoft has tried include Live Search Cashback, which pays visitors to use its search engine by offering them rebates on products bought from its search listings.

That's a trick Kelkoo has copied under Yahoo's ownership, with the launch last week of a beta version of Kelkoo Cashback, a program which offers users of Kelkoo's U.K. site rebates of up to 25 percent on purchases made through Kelkoo comparison engine.

Microsoft and Yahoo however have been heading in opposite directions since February, when Yahoo turned down a $45 billion acquisition offer from Microsoft. More recently Yahoo has been asking Microsoft to come back to the negotiating table, but to no avail.

Links to the "Shopping" section of Yahoo's European properties still lead to Kelkoo's price comparison sites on Monday, and those sites still carried the tag "a Yahoo! company." Ciao's sites, on the other hand, are not yet bragging about the company's links to Microsoft.