FT, Hoover’s Integration Will Be Europe-Wide

[London, ENGLAND] Integration of content on the Web sites
of Hoover’s, Inc. and the Financial Times will extend
beyond the U.K. to France, Germany, Italy and Spain,
the two companies have revealed.

As part of the deal, Hoover’s Online and Hoover’s Online
UK will link to over 3,000 related news headlines and
archived articles each day from the FT.com archive of
news stories.

In exchange, FT.com’s users will be able to access
Hoover’s Company Information on more than 65,000
companies worldwide.

“This is a breakthrough deal for us, combining two of
the best brands on the Web to the benefit of the business
community,” said Patrick Spain, chief executive officer
of Hoover’s Online.

Stephen Hill, chief executive at the Financial Times Group
said the deal would drive more U.S. users through to FT.com,
adding significantly to the site’s monthly page views.

Hoover’s Online Europe has expanded vigorously since it
went live in October 2000, forging partnerships with
FT.com, GlobalNetFinancial.com, Hemscott.NET and SAP.
It offers three levels of business research: a basic
company directory, an extensive set of company “capsules”
with brief summaries of corporate activity, and, at the
top of the range, a set of in-depth company profiles.

In January, Hoover’s launched four new Web sites in
France, Germany, Italy and Spain, each one providing
company information in local languages.

“Hoover’s Online’s successful growth is due to a strategy
in which we seek partnerships with like-minded, respected
and credible brands in order to introduce our service as
a must-have for people who need answers to their business
questions,” said Gehan Talwatte, managing director of
Hoover’s Online Europe.

In Europe, Hoover’s Online has its headquarters in the
U.K., where it is accessible on www.hoovers.co.uk.