Ellerston Capital Take Stake in Deals Direct

Media investment in online commerce continues as Ellerston Capital, a Consolidated Press investment vehicle, sees the Packer Empire and media businesses continue to take up opportunities in online retail business with a stake in DealsDirect.com.au estimated to be worth $10 million (by the AFR).

Deals Direct, listed on Gimme Shopping, stocks over 7,500 products across a range of over 20 categories including electronics, toys, home bedding, electrical appliances, homewares, home furniture, floor rugs and more.

The movement of media organisations into the online retail space to re-capture lost revenue due to the decline of classifieds and print media advertising is a clear trend and one which will not come off the boil any time soon.

Astute investors view well positioned start ups, like Spreets and OurDeal, as excellent future income prospects.

Huge opportunities exist with online retail emerging in the mobile and social network space.

Smart investors are looking beyond current trends and placing bets on where the next market will emerge.

At Gimme we’re excited at the activity surrounding online commerce. Well placed stores are growing at impressive rates considering the general retail downturn. Our patchy economy, energy prices, fuel prices and cost of living are all forcing consumers to look for cheaper options, and buying online provides that.

There are a plenty of media organisations who don’t have a balanced online footprint and will continue to investigate options from online stores, shopping directory services and deals sites.