The largest dating site in the world, PlentyOfFish, has bought FastLife – the world’s largest speed dating event company.
It is a move which PlentyOfFish says will “drastically change the future of the online dating industry.”
FastLife is a speed dating service that holds more than 2,400 events a year in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK – attracting over 60,000 singles.
The company was founded by husband and wife Justin and Annabelle Parfitt – who featured on Canadian reality TV show Love Incorporated – and their events generate an estimated $2.5 million a year.
Speaking on the reasons for the acquisition of the company, Markus Frind, founder and CEO of PlentyOfFish, said: “The direction of online dating is undeniably headed towards a merging of the online and offline worlds, so this is a major move towards changing the way single people meet and interact.
“PlentyOfFish has always understood the importance of live events. Currently our users host over 300 events worldwide each month. Now more than ever, we understand the importance of offering singles innovative, new ways of connecting face to face.”
Plenty of Fish was founded in 2003 by Frind, and is now the largest dating site in the world – with over 60 million registered users.
And this purchase of FastLife is not the only thing planned by the company – Frind saying that PlentyOfFish plan to “grow our reach within the online dating industry. We want to invest over £30 million in the next 12 months.”
Annabelle Parfitt will continue as CEO of FastLife and their websites – which include www.FastLife.com and www.FastLife.co.uk – will continue to run dating events in cities around the world.
PlentyOfFish and FastLife will be introducing singles events in many more US cities over the next year.