51job, Inc. and Japan’s Recruit Announce Cooperation Agreement to Establish Coupon Advertising Company in China
SHANGHAI, China, July 25 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — 51job, Inc. (Nasdaq: JOBS), a leading provider of integrated human resource services in China, and Recruit Co., Ltd., a leading information services company in Japan serving businesses and consumers in numerous market segments, including human resource services, real estate and automobiles, announced today a cooperation agreement to establish a new company focused on providing coupon advertising services in China.
Independently incorporated, this new coupon advertising company will benefit from 51job’s distribution expertise and leverage Recruit’s deep product knowledge to help local businesses to tap into the rapidly growing consumer market in China. 51job operates 23 editions of 51job Weekly and distributes several million copies each week throughout China. A recognized market leader in the printing and distribution of free coupon magazines, Recruit publishes Hot Pepper, which was launched in 2001 and has expanded to 49 area-specific editions in Japan today.
“Combining our companies’ strengths and experiences, we believe the new coupon company will provide a compelling and targeted advertising solution for businesses as well as an effective information channel for consumers in China,” said Rick Yan, President and Chief Executive Officer of 51job.