TOKYO and BAMBERG, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rakuten, Inc. (JASDAQ: 4755) today announced that it has closed a transaction to acquire an 80% stake in Tradoria, one of Germany’s leading online e-commerce platforms.
Tradoria was founded in 2007 and employs a unique business model that encompasses a web store, marketplace and checkout in a single product for small and medium-sized merchants. It saves the merchants all complex technological processes and provides all necessary tools and support to successfully launch their online business. The business model is based on monthly subscription fees and transaction fees. Currently, over 4,400 shops offer approximately 8 million products across a broad range of categories.
“Tradoria is a fast growing company that shares Rakuten’s vision of empowering merchants and consumers,” said Hiroshi Mikitani, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Rakuten. “Our distinctive B2B2C business model represents a fresh approach to the future of global e-commerce and we are excited to join with like-minded companies. Together, we will help each other grow in Europe and continue to open new markets worldwide to our merchants.”
“Rakuten is a dominant force in e-commerce with years of experience and a rapidly expanding global presence. Our shared vision and business models make this a perfect fit and we are looking forward to bringing new opportunities to our merchants and their customers,” said Tradoria CEO, Tobias Kobier.
The acquisition comes one year after Rakuten took its first step into continental Europe with the acquisition of PriceMinister in France and sets the stage for continued expansion across Europe. PriceMinister CEO Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet commented, “In the past year, we have seen significant synergies with the Rakuten Group that have helped extend our respective businesses globally and drive growth. We look forward to working alongside Tradoria and Rakuten in building Europe’s strongest e-commerce platform, offering merchants and consumers a seamless and borderless online shopping experience.”
Germany’s e-commerce industry is the second largest in Europe and is expected to exceed €37 billion in 2014 (Source: 2010 Euromonitor International). With 61 million online consumers, Germany has the biggest online population in Europe, 13 million more than the UK. Two-thirds of the online German population bought online in 2010, spending an aggregate of almost €20 billion. The German e-commerce market is expected to grow 12% in 2011. (Source: Forrester Research, 2011).
The amount of the current investment was not disclosed.
About Tradoria GmbH
The Tradoria e-commerce platform has been a leading German provider of online shop solutions (with shopping portal) since 2007, with a diverse and ever-expanding range of products. Visitors to www.Tradoria.de currently have a choice of approximately eight million products from 4,400 sellers across Germany. The multi-award winning, end-to-end solution can be deployed by e-commerce newcomers, as a powerful sales channel for existing online stores, or as a multi-channel solution for brick-and-mortar retailers. Tradoria’s full-service offering includes complete payment handling, customer communication during the order process, continuous updating of sellers’ terms and conditions, and responsibility for the risk of non-payment.
About Rakuten
Rakuten, Inc. (JASDAQ: 4755), is one of the world’s leading Internet service companies, providing a variety of consumer and business-focused services including e-commerce, travel, banking, securities, credit card, e-money, portal & media, online marketing and professional sports. Rakuten is expanding globally and currently has operations throughout Asia, Western Europe, and the Americas. Founded in 1997, Rakuten is headquartered in Tokyo, with over 10,000 employees worldwide. For more information, visit http://global.rakuten.com/group.