Yellowbook
In the US, the Yell Group operates as Yellowbook. Yellowbook was founded in 1930, when local community directories were published on Long Island by the then Merchants Advertising Service Inc. In 1949, the company became known as Yellowbook.Yellowbook expanded in the US through a number of acquisitions and new launches over four decades. Following its acquisition by Yell in August 1999, further acquisitions have reinforced Yellowbook’s position as the largest independent yellow pages publisher in the US. By the end of the financial year 2008, we published 984 directories with a total circulation of around 128 million copies in 48 states, plus the District of Columbia.
Yellowbook advertising is also available online through the company’s website at www.yellowbook.com. We offer a variety of product features and advertising placement options, as well advert syndication, whereby our advertisers’ details are promoted across partner websites, vastly extending their reach on the internet.
Yellowbook employs about 8,100 people nationwide.
US Growth Story
Yell entered the US market through the acquisition of Yellowbook - the oldest and largest US independent - in 1999. At that time Yellowbook operated principally in the eastern states. Since then, we have continued to expand our operations in the east through the acquisition of small, complementary directory companies and the launch of new directories.
In April 2002, we expanded our US operations into the mid-west and Rocky Mountains through the acquisition of McLeodUSA Media Group. In December 2002, we expanded still further when we bought the California-based National Directory Company for $69 million, giving us a presence in new territories on the US West Coast, in New Mexico and in Arizona, and increasing our opportunities for further organic growth. In March 2004, we purchased Feist Publications Inc, expanding our platform in Oklahoma and Kansas and extending it into Texas for the first time.
In July 2005 we completed the acquisition of TransWestern Holdings L.P. for $1,575 million. In 2006, we acquired Click Forward Marketing LLC, improving our advertising effectiveness through the internet. In 2007, we acquired Paradise Pages from Paradise Media Group LLC, extending our reach to Hawaii. In 2008, we extended into South Carolina, increasing our footprint to 48 states, plus the District of Columbia.
Our acquisitions, both large and smaller ‘in-fill’ acquisitions, alongside new directory launches, have successfully consolidated our position as the largest independent directory publisher in the US.
