Lunch Actually Buys Thai Matchmakers To Continue Impressive Expansion
Singapore-based dating provider Lunch Actually Group has this week acquired Thailand’s number one matchmaking service.
The group has bought MeetNLunch, a popular matchmaking service for busy professionals in Thailand.
MeetNLunch has been operating in Thailand since 2006, has over 150,000 members in its combined database and has set up around 10,000 dates.
Many of its clientele are successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, hedge fund managers, and other financially stable professionals.
Speaking about why they decided to acquire MeetNLunch, Violet Lim, CEO and co-founder of Lunch Actually Group said: “We saw great potential for synergy in our respective businesses and company cultures.
“Through this acquisition, we have immediate access to the growing singles market in Thailand and this will bring us closer to cementing our position as the biggest dating player in the South East Asian region and accelerating our goal of creating 1,000,000 marriages.
“When it comes to any mergers and acquisitions, the ability to integrate successfully is extremely important. Having known the founder for many years, we recognise that we share many common values and beliefs. We are confident that by coming together, we will grow the business to an unprecedented level.”
Lunch Actually was launched in 2004 by husband and wife team Jamie Lee and Violet Lim, and has expanded its services into Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Hong Kong, and Jakarta.
The group has around 400,000 members in its combined database and has arranged more than 40,000 dates.
The company recently hit the $5m revenue milestone, with its cash revenue growing by more than 50% in 2014.
Last year, the company also acquired another dating service, Singapore Coffee Meets Bagel-style app Love Out Loud Asia.
This app – which gives singles one match every day at noon, and 24 hours to respond – was rebranded and released as Lunch Click in April this year.
This latest acquisition is intended to help the dating group expand into the rapidly-growing Thai market.
MeetNLunch’s founder, Nikki Assavathorn said: “One of the factors that helped MeetNLunch achieve the amount of success is our ability to recognise the needs of singles and pivot our products and services accordingly.
“With our trusted reputation in Thailand, and Lunch Actually Group’s proven experience in expansion and scaling up, we are confident that we can reach out to even more singles in Thailand.”
With the acquisition Lunch Actually also gain MeetNLunch’s additional mobile dating app Available, which has a database of 100,000 users.
Find out more about the company here.