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PHOTOLIBRARY ACQUIRES INDEX STOCK IMAGERY
October 31, 2006
Photolibrary has signed an agreement to purchase Index Stock Imagery of New York. Index Stock will join the rapidly expanding group, which includes Photolibrary www.photolibrary.com, Garden Picture Library (GPL) www.gardenpicture.com, Oxford Scientific (OSF) www.osfimages.com and www.osffootage.com, Fresh Food Images (Anthony Blake of the UK - www.abpl.co.uk) and Monsoon Images www.monsoonimages.com (also out of New York). This merged collection continues Photolibrary Groups' strategy of providing the picture buying community with easy access, striking imagery and unbeatable service across an ever-growing subject range that straddles the unique and the everyday.
Index Stock markets a library of over one million digital images through four brands - Index Stock Imagery and Index Open, catering to advertisers, designers, large corporations, magazines, and book publishers, and Photos To Go and Photos To Go Unlimited, marketing to small business and home business image users. Utilising this structure, it is Photolibrary Group's intention to re-brand the Index Stock business whilst simultaneously launching a more traditional RM and RF website via www.photolibrary.com in the US.
This acquisition gives Photolibrary Group customers access to over 2 million still image and over 2,000 hours of footage and offices in 10 countries around the world. In addition to a unique set of wholly owned brands, the group offers customers over 100 partner brands and represents over 2,000 photographers from around the world. The Photolibrary The Groups offices are in the United Kingdom (London and Oxford), the USA (New York), Australia (Sydney and Melbourne), Singapore, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.
Glenn Parker, Photolibrary Group CEO explains: "This approach will give our contributing artists direct access to the US Market, in turn giving US customers access to the full suite of our collections which range from traditional lifestyle imagery through to specialist collections in nature and the environment; gardens and botany; food and fine art imagery. Index Stock's current and future artists will also benefit from being placed on www.photolibrary.com where customers can access all this product in one place.
Index Stock founder Bahar Gidwani says: "Joining the Photolibrary Group brings new opportunities to Index Stock's artists, customers, and employees. Index's artists will benefit from the investments Photolibrary is making in distribution, marketing and technology. Index's customers will see millions of great new images and its employees will be an important part of a larger, worldwide organization. I am proud of what our team accomplished over the past fifteen years and I know Index Stock will make a substantial contribution to Photolibrary's future success."
Glenn Parker continues: "This is Photolibrary Group's next step into the US market and we are excited about the possibilities on offer to our customers. We can also now truly say to our present and future artists that we can service customers across all major territories around the world."