Iran's Hezardastan sells Android app store Café Bazaar to local Tapsell

Iran's Hezardastan sells Android app store Café Bazaar to local Tapsell
Iran's Hezardastan sells Android app store Café Bazaar to local Tapsell / bne IntelliNews
By bnm Tehran bureau January 22, 2025

Iran's Hezardastan Group has completed the sale of Café Bazaar, its app marketplace platform, to digital advertising company Tapsell, the company announced on January 22.

Café Bazaar jumped to notoriety in 2016 when Google blocked access to the Google Play app store in the country but had been developing its offer since 2011. Even now, the Café Bazaar app is a popular platform focusing on locally made apps, including Iranian banking and e-commerce apps.

The sale comes as Google Play was recently unblocked in the country by local authorities as part of a relaxation of digital censorship laws.

The move allows Hezardastan to focus on developing Iran’s version of eBay, called “Divar”, which remains the group's core business, the company said in a statement.

"This transition allows us to cement Divar's position as a leading platform in this sector and create new opportunities for innovation and progress," the statement said.

“We appreciate all our colleagues, stakeholders, and founders of the market, who have brought the market to this point over the past 14 years with their continuous activities and efforts, for their support and efforts over these years, and we are optimistic about a bright future full of new opportunities,” Café Bazaar wrote on its blog.

Neither company was forthcoming with financial details on the sale. Still, according to local social media, two other companies were also in talks to buy Café Bazaar, including local technology company Yektanet.

The sale marks a significant shift in Iran's tech sector. Café Bazaar has been a major player in Iran's mobile app distribution market.  Future decisions about Café Bazaar, including potential stock market listing, will now depend on Tapsell's strategy.

Recent estimates claim that Café Bazaar has close to 40-50 active monthly users, making it the most popular software app in the country.  

Earlier in 2023, Google pulled the Divar app from the Play Store as part of US sanctions. “Products on Google Play may be subject to the United States’ and other jurisdictions’ export control and sanctions laws and regulations,” read Google’s email then.

Divar had more than 10mn active users before being removed from Google Play.

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