topjobs.net plc and Prensa Espanola S.A. Form Joint Venture to Establish Top Jobs on the Net in Spain and Portugal

Business Wire, April 5, 2000

Business Editors

MANCHESTER, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2000

Partnership with Spain's Leading National Recruitment Advertiser

Establishes Foothold in Southern Europe and Further Extends Top

Jobs on the Net Market Reach in Europe

topjobs.net plc (NASDAQ:TJOB), Europe's leading provider of branded Internet-based recruitment advertising solutions within the Management, Professional and Technical employment fields, and Prensa Espanola S.A., a leading Spanish publishing house, today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to form a 50-50 joint venture to take Top Jobs on the Net into Spain and Portugal.

Prensa Espanola is a leading Spanish publishing house that produces ABC, one of the leading Spanish quality newspapers, and is the publisher of "Nuevo Trabajo" ("new work") in Spain with a 43% market share of the national job segment. Prensa Espanola also publishes "Blanco y Negro," a weekend magazine supplement and operates http://www.abc.es, one of Spain's most visited web sites.

topjobs.net plc will provide the business model, contribute its range of Top Jobs on the Net online recruitment products and services, brand name, access to its international network, clients and other data bases, and business development personnel to start the joint venture. Prensa Espanola S.A. will provide the joint venture with marketing and advertising support in Nuevo Trabajo and ABC for a period of twelve months, beginning with the launch of the joint venture, sponsorship in ABC's job fairs, and a profiled presence throughout the http://www.abc.es web site, including a permanent link on the careers zone. In addition, Prensa Espanola S.A. will assist in public relations and provide introductions to employers, as well as provide ongoing marketing and discounted advertising support.

Commenting on the agreement, Nemesio Fernandez Cuesta, President of Prensa Espanola S.A., said, "This joint venture enables Prensa Espanola S.A. to broaden its presence in the recruitment marketplace in Spain and Portugal, beyond the more traditional media outlets. As one of Europe's leading providers of online Internet recruitment services, topjobs.net plc has an established brand name in Top Jobs on the Net. As well, they have the requisite experience in forging strong relationships with leading employers and in offering excellent job opportunities ranging from graduate-level entry positions to top managerial posts. We chose to partner with topjobs.net plc because of these attributes, and also because they appreciate and understand Europe and the importance of delivering its services locally, in a way that is tailored to meet the needs of employers and job seekers in each of the country markets they serve. We are very excited about this relationship and are committed to making the venture a success."

Victor Kaminski, President and Chief Executive Officer of topjobs.net plc, said, "Our principal approach when entering new markets in Europe is to combine our strengths with leading media players. Spain is the fifth largest economy in Europe, and with Prensa Espanola S.A. as our partner we have accelerated our entry into this key country market, and our early mover advantage puts us in a strong position going forward. Trading will begin immediately, and we believe that through this partnership we will drive more targeted traffic to our web sites and grow our customer base. The joint venture will also be able to lever Prensa Espanola's considerable purchasing power across other media groups, which will serve to strengthen the Top Jobs on the Net presence in Spain and Portugal. The agreement establishes a solid footing for us in southern Europe, and supports our goal of becoming the dominant provider of branded Internet recruitment solutions across Europe."

About topjobs.net plc:

topjobs.net plc is the parent company of the Top Jobs on the Net http://www.topjobs.net group, with offices in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, Thailand and Australia. The Company's growth strategy is focused on strengthening existing country operations and expanding into other parts of Europe. Customers using Top Jobs on the Net can efficiently create, modify, monitor and manage their own branded Internet recruitment advertising campaigns. Higher value contracts include TV advertising. The Company's sales strategy emphasises serving large multinational companies through premium-serviced and priced, longer-term contracts. Investor information can be found at http://www.investor.topjobs.net or accessed through investor information at http://www.topjobs.net.

About Prensa Espanola, S.A.:

The Prensa Espanola Group publishes ABC, one of the leading Spanish dailies, as well as the Sunday supplement BLANCO Y NEGRO, among other prestigious publications. Moreover, it maintains a presence in some of the most important media on the Spanish national scene, such as the radio network COPE, different projects in digital TV in Spain, and in many regional dailies. Its bid for the new information technology is evident in its trust in the Internet, with ABC being the first among all other main Spanish newspapers to launch an electronic daily through http://www.abc.es