A publisher of car and motorcycle repair and maintenance manuals has expanded its portfolio of products for professional mechanics following an acquisition in the Netherlands.

A publisher of car and motorcycle repair and maintenance manuals has expanded its portfolio of products for professional mechanics following an acquisition in the Netherlands.

Haynes Publishing plc, which targets its books at professionals and the home mechanic, has bought Vivid Holdings, which provides similar products on-line and in DVD format.

The acquisition is part of Haynes’ strategy to extend its operations globally as well as allowing the company to target its products at Europe’s digital market.

Haynes chief executive Eric Oakley said the deal adds language translation, web development, DVD production and copy protection security skills to its business. “This opens up the possibility of Internet-based products in markets where printed manuals would be too costly.”

The deal was agreed for £6 million, which was paid in cash on completion with the majority of the funding provided internally. As part of the agreement, Vivid’s founders remain with the business.

Vivid provides technical information to 25,000 independent car workshops throughout Europe. Its database covers 6,500 European and Asian vehicle models and is available in 19 languages.

In the year to January 2008, Soest-based Vivid reported a pre-tax profit of £700,000 from a £3.2 million turnover.