fish4jobs.co.uk to see major enhancements

as a result of new joint venture.

fish4, the publisher of fish4jobs.co.uk, the online jobs search service, has announced its participation in a new company, FinnTech. The new venture aims to create industry standard technology to power the online classified websites of regional newspapers across Europe. Users and advertisers of fish4jobs.co.uk can expect to see major service enhancements as a result of this announcement.

fish4ís partners in FinnTech are Associated New Media and Norwegian online classified service Finn.no, which is in turn owned by Norwegian newspaper publisher Schibsted.

Through FinnTech, the online arms of the UKís and Scandinaviaís regional publishing groups are joining forces to create an off the shelf system that local and regional newspaper publishers throughout Europe can use to either power their existing web-sites, or to create completely new online classified solutions.

Over the next twelve months, fish4 will itself be using FinnTechís system to power its online classified services - including fish4jobs.co.uk. fish4 CEO Jonathan Turpin says that both consumers and commercial partners will benefit:

ìAnyone searching for a new job will benefit from a quicker and more accurate search service. Advertisers will benefit from substantial new functionality that will allow them to enhance their advertisements, providing greater control and flexibility, better targeting of potential customers, and in-depth management information.î

fish4.co.uk is owned by Newsquest Media Group, Northcliffe Newspapers Group, Trinity Mirror and Guardian Media Group Regional Newspapers. fish4 also provides services to six additional local newspaper groups.

Between them, they represent 60% of the UKís regional press and publish around 650 daily and weekly newspapers.

fish4 has taken a 25% stake in FinnTech, and will be committing a minimum of 3m to the venture over the next three years. A further 25% will be owned by Associated New Media, and 50% by Finn.no.

Online classified services in the UK, Norway, Sweden and Belgium already use the FinnTech technology. FinnTechís first CEO will be Robert Steen who joins FinnTech from Finn.no where he was international director.

fish4ís decision to invest in FinnTech builds on the companyís existing involvement with the Adexalliance, an alliance of online classified services owned by major regional newspaper groups in Belgium, Finland, Norway, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK.

ìOur involvement with FinnTech is yet another sign of our long-term commitment to the online classifieds business,î says Jonathan Turpin. ìIt opens up revenue generating opportunities on a European level and gives us a further competitive advantage in the UK marketplace.î