FreshAddress acquires Return Path's e-mail change of address business

FreshAddress, an e-mail change of address services firm, has signed an agreement to purchase Return Path's ECOA business in an undisclosed deal.

Under the terms of the deal, FreshAddress will acquire Return Path's old/new e-mail address change-pairs, hygiene technology, client and partner relationships with about 75 companies, and related patents in a move to create a centralized database of consumer e-mail address updates.

The acquisition is part of FreshAddress' new aggressive growth-through-acquisition strategy.

“It enables us to consolidate the two true e-mail change of address providers in the industry,” said Bill Kaplan, CEO of FreshAddress. “Our plan is to try to acquire other companies that offer services that are complementary to ours or have a client base that fits with ours.”

For Return Path this move represents a move from a multi-business unit to one company focused entirely on deliverability. To accomplish this new focus, Return Path has sold the ECOA business and established a new company, Authentic Response, which will be comprised of its existing market research, Postmaster Direct lead generation, list rental, and online media brokerage businesses. This comes after Return Path's acquisition of former deliverability competitor Habeas earlier this year.

“The deliverability business is a great business, and we've doubled down on that in the last few months as we've acquired Habeas,” said Matt Blumberg chairman/CEO of Return Path. “Deliverability is a very different business than lead generation business, and it made sense for us to focus on our core.”