September 15th 2011 - Yell announced today that it has made significant progress in its collaboration with Microsoft first announced on 12 July this year. Yell will offer a broad range of Microsoft Advertising solutions and software to its over million strong SME customer base.

The alliance is enabling Yell to deepen and enhance its products and services by using the Microsoft adCenter and Microsoft Exchange platforms to offer search and display advertising solutions on Microsoft’s sites, including: Bing, MSN and Windows Live Hotmail. In addition, Yell will offer Microsoft Office 365 and the full suite of cloud and software-based productivity and business solutions, which includes Microsoft Dynamics. Furthermore, Yell Connect, Yell’s new consumer division, will offer SMEs multi-store and ecommerce solutions made possible through its acquisition of Znode earlier this year. For larger SMEs, Yell will offer such solutions via the low cost, highly scalable Microsoft Cloud Services, as well as providing seamless connectivity to Microsoft Dynamics.

Mike Pocock, Chief Executive Officer of Yell, said: “Consumers are increasingly sourcing and buying the goods and services they want online and are demanding to be able to do this locally. This changing landscape opens up a number of new opportunities for those SMEs who embrace eCommerce and it is Yell’s aim to help those businesses succeed in doing this. As a key part of our new strategy, we are creating a one-stop ‘eMarketplace’, which will enable our SME customers to compete more effectively in the digital market place. Our alliance with Microsoft is a key part of this, making it possible for us to deliver important new digital services."

The alliance between Yell and Microsoft constitutes an important part of Yell’s new strategy to become the leading provider of digital services to small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”) so that they can compete online and transact ecommerce in the emerging local eMarketplace. It recognizes both parties focus on opportunities emerging from changing consumer and SME behaviours in local markets driven by rapidly evolving online technologies. Yell believes that these trends will result in a local eMarketplace that plays to their respective strengths. Yell’s expertise and trusted customer relationships with local businesses used with Microsoft’s small business software, media and search assets will allow the alliance to deliver solutions that will help SMEs grow in this environment.

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About Yell
Yell Group is a leading provider of print and digital services within the emerging local eMarketplace for consumers and SMEs across its operations in the UK, US, Spain and some countries in Latin America.
Building on its strong presence in the local market through its current digital and print portfolio, Yell is developing a broad range of digital services tailored to the converging needs of SMEs and consumers.
These address both the SME need to grow, transact and be efficient in the digital world, and the consumers’ need to connect locally to the goods and services they want, in a way which saves them time and money, and moves their lives forward.
In the year ended 31 March 2011, Yell Group has over 1 million SME advertisers.
www.yellgroup.com

Media Contacts:
Yell – Media
Jon Salmon
Andrew Spybey
Tel: +44 (0) 118 358 2656
Mobile: +44 (0) 7801 977340

Yell – Investors
Niroshi Sheldon
Rob Hall
Tel: +44 (0)118 358 2838

Finsbury
Andrew Dowler
Charles Chichester
Tel: +44 (0) 207 251 3801

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