Yelp, the online local "urban guide," has announced that it is setting up a new European headquarters in Dublin with plans to create more than 100 jobs.
The California-based internet company that “connects customers with local businesses” with word-of-mouth reviews and listings, said that it would be creating a wide range of jobs in the Dublin operation, from sales to account management and product engineering to finance.
"Expanding Yelp's international operations with the opening of our new office in Dublin is a landmark moment in the company's history," said the company's co-founder and chief executive Jeremy Stoppelman.
“This new office will be home to our European operations and will be the engine behind our European revenue generation efforts.”
Mr Stoppelman (36) said Ireland offered "fantastic access to multiple language capabilities from a tech savvy and educated population, not to mention a country that has proved to be a home-away-from-home for a number of existing Yelp employees that already relocated there."
Founded in San Francisco in 2004, Yelp had an average of 132 million unique visitors to its website this year. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the company has a market value of $4.3 billion (€3.1 billion).
Yelp is making the announcement on the second day of the Taoiseach's three-day trade mission to San Francisco and Silicon Valley where he has met multinationals with large operations and workforces in Ireland, including Apple, Facebook and Hewlett Packard.
Mr Kenny is due to meet Yelp executives at their San Francisco offices today. He welcomed their decision to open a European office in Dublin.
“As part of our recovery plan it is important for Ireland to continue to win investments from leading international digital media companies by providing an excellent business environment supported by our exceptionally talented people and strong track record,” he said.
“My visit here this week is all about cementing and reinforcing existing investor relationships as well as building new connections with a view to securing new jobs and investment for Ireland.”
Barry O'Leary, chief executive of IDA Ireland, said Yelp was "an excellent addition to the very strong cluster" of internet service businesses with European operations in Ireland and that Dublin continues to attract leading international companies a European tech and multilingual hub.
Hewlett Packard used Mr Kenny's visit to their California head office yesterday to confirm that it would be creating 100 high-tech jobs at a new research and development centre opening next year in Ballybrit, Galway.
HP Ireland flagged in January that it would be adding up to 150 research engineer jobs to the 650 already employed in Galway.
The company has a 4,500-strong Irish workforce based in Dublin, Leixlip, Belfast and Galway.
