Leading online classifieds site dubizzle, which operates across the Middle East and North Africa, announced this week that it would phase out its brand name in favor of parent company Naspers' OLX brand.
"With the rebranding to OLX, dubizzle is now fully part of the world’s leading network of online classifieds sites. Since 2013 dubizzle has been part of the OLX family sharing the same values and was ready to introduce the world’s biggest classifieds brand to the Middle East," Abdallah Touqan, senior PR and communications lead at dubizzle, said, according to Arabian Business .
"10 Middle Eastern markets, except the UAE, are now operating under the OLX brand name and are now truly part of a global network that reaches over 240 million monthly active users and generates over 17 billion page views per month."
In June, the company first started using the OLX name on its website, in a tag line that said "Dubizzle is an OLX company."
In 2013, Dubizzle founders J.C. Butler and Sim Whatley sold a majority stake in the company to MIH, a subsidiary of South African conglomerate Naspers. Naspers, which owns OLX, has consolidated a number of its classifieds sites under the OLX brand.
While the rebranding aligns with the larger international brand, it represents a significant pullback after the company invested heavily in the dubizzle name, including TV advertising buys in some of the largest regional markets over the last several years, according to Wamda.
According to Arabian Business, dubizzle restructured earlier this year, with the CEO and other senior staff leaving.
For the time being, OLX will preserve the dubizzle name in the UAE, a testament to the strength of the brand locally.