Independent Yellow Pages Publishers 2008: Forecast & Analysis

Additional Information

Stamford, Conn. - Feb. 2, 2009 - Revenue for independent yellow pages producers exceeded $4 billion for the first time in 2008, a 25% share of total industry revenue of $17+ billion, according to Independent Yellow Pages Publishers 2008: Forecast & Analysis, a report recently published by Simba Information, the publisher of Yellow Pages & Directory Report newsletter. Simba expects independent revenue growth to approach $4.75 billion in 2009, or approximately a 27% share of the total yellow pages market this year.

The expansion of independents with start-up markets continued in 2007 and 2008, with more than 80 directories with 10.6 million circulation introduced. These directories have kicked in financially and pulled revenue from the incumbents.

“While start-ups boosted sales for the independents, mergers and acquisitions remained relatively flat with a total of 17 transactions valued at under $2 billion, compared to 19 the year before,” noted David Goddard, senior analyst/editor of Simba’s Yellow Pages Group and lead author of the study. “One of the largest acquisitions was Local Insight Media’s $425 million purchase of Hawaiian Telcom’s directory division, giving it seven directories and four companion books with 1.8 million circulation. Another significant acquisition in the U.S. by Local Insight Media was its agreement to acquire The Berry Company’s sales and publishing agent business from AT&T for an estimated $240 million to $250 million.”

A full, detailed analysis of current trends by independents, as well as industry size and segmentation detail, can be found in Independent Yellow Pages Publishers 2008: Forecast & Analysis. The report also contains industry forecast figures and in-depth profiles of leading publishers, including Ambassador Media, Hagadone Directories, Names & Numbers, Ogden Directories, Phone Directories Co., User-Friendly Phone Book, Valley Yellow Pages, White Directory Publishers, Yellowbook, Your Community PhoneBook, and ypOne Enterprises.