Trade Me said there were no immediate plans for its owners to sell. Photo: RNZ
Trade Me is cooling down speculation that it is being readied for a possible relisting on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges.
There has been market speculation about a potential relisting of the online advertising portal since it was taken over by Apax Partners four years ago for nearly $2.6 billion at $6.45 a share.
However, Trade Me chief executive Anders Skoe said it was business as usual for the company.
"There are no immediate plans for our owners to sell," he said.
British-based Apax invests in technology, consumer, healthcare and service sector businesses.
It specialises in taking stakes in, or buying out companies, where it looks to maximise value and then sell out at a profit.
Local investment managers say speculation about a partial or total divestment surfaces from time to time, but financial market conditions and potential buyer interest would dictate the final decision.
Trade Me was founded by in 1999 by a group of young entrepreneurs and technology experts, including Sam Morgan, which sold out to Australian publishing firm Fairfax in 2006 for $700m.
Fairfax floated Trade Me on the sharemarket six years later.
Trade Me is still New Zealand's largest online site, offering consumers an opportunity to bid, buy and sell items, along with advertisements for jobs, cars, insurance and property.
