Rakuten
Full-line Internet Service Company
Category: Other Ecommerce Services
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Website:
http://global.rakuten.com/en/
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Rakuten, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates ("Rakuten Group") are full-line Internet services companies. Since its founding in 1997, Rakuten, Inc.
("Rakuten") has spent a decade evolving its business model centered on e-commerce, to create a market completely new to Japan.
The Rakuten Group is focusing on two approaches in particular to target growth in the decade to come. The first is to empower people and society through continuous innovation and business operation based on our five concepts of success. The second is to establish a "Rakuten eco-system" which enables us to maximize our customers’ lifetime value and leverage synergies. Guided by the key phrase "more than Web", the Rakuten Group is taking on the challenge of creating new value by driving convergence between the Internet and traditional "bricks and mortar" businesses.
Rakuten operates e-commerce businesses in nine countries. They first entered the U.S. market in 2005 by acquiring an online marketing firm LinkShare. In 2008, they entered Taiwan by acquiring a key local e-commerce player, now operating under the Rakuten Taiwan brand (Rakuten.com.tw). In 2009, they entered Thailand by acquiring Tarad.com. In the last two years, the M&A activity has accelerated to the pace of four acquisitions per year. The year 2010 was marked by entries into China via JV with Baidu (Rakuten.cn), France via the acquisition of PriceMinister.com, Indonesia via the acquisition of Belanja Online (Rakuten.co.id), and further expansion into the U.S. via the acquisition of Buy.com. In 2011, Rakuten entered Brazil via the acquisition of Ikeda (now Rakuten.com.br), Germany via the acquisition of Tradoria now (Rakuten.de), and the U.K. via the acquisition of Play.com. Rakuten has also entered the hardware business by acquiring Canada’s Kobo, an e-reader device producer, in 2011.
A full list of Rakuten’s global operations can be found at: http://global.rakuten.com/group/
Rakuten
Shinagawa Seaside Rakuten Tower
4-12-3 Higashi-shinagawa
Tokyo, Shinagawa-ku 140-0002
Japan
+ 1 201 206-3487
