The French e-commerce pioneer is looking for a buyer. The site, bought in 2010 by the Japanese group Rakuten, has not managed to do well in a world now dominated by American (Amazon) and Chinese (Temu, Shein, etc.) platforms.
It was the French pioneer of e-commerce in the 2000s, well before the rise of Amazon and the arrival on the European scene of the Chinese Temu, Shein and JD.com. Rakuten France, formerly Priceminister, a historic player in French marketplaces, announced a planned sale or closure on April 7, information reported by Capital.fr and confirmed to Echoeson May 2. The French pureplayer still employs 180 employees in France, employees who could be left out of business if no buyer comes forward by the third quarter of 2026, this Monday, May 4, LSA.
The general marketplace, which sells second-hand and new goods, was created in 2000, before being sold ten years later to the Japanese group Rakuten for 200 million euros. The Japanese giant then invested in its platform for nearly 16 years, with the launch of its Club R loyalty program in 2019 which allowed it to retain 13 million members. But like other players, the latter has not succeeded in doing well in the more than competitive sector of e-commerce sites.
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15 million monthly visitors compared to 45 million for Amazon
The management of Rakuten France is thus moving forward, in the columns of Echoes« chronic loss of activity », « despite continued efforts to compensate for losses, modernize the platform and develop advanced solutions to strengthen the service using artificial intelligence “. Between 2016 and 2026, the number of its customers fell by 33% between 2016 and 2026, while its traffic fell by 42%, reports Capital. Meanwhile, Amazon saw the number of its French visitors increase from 9 to 45 million. Rakuten France claims, to date, nearly 15 million monthly visitors.
The Japanese subsidiary was no match for the abysmal investments of the American giant Amazon, but also the Chinese Temu, Shein and JD.com, all capable of recording losses for decades. The top ten places on the marketplaces are, today, only occupied by American and Chinese players. Several expressions of interest have already been received, our colleagues indicated Echoes the Carlsquare investment bank, responsible for finding a buyer.
The possible end of Rakuten France does not simply mean the end: several entities “ will continue their developments “, like ” Rakuten Symphony, Rakuten TV, Rakuten Viki, Rakuten Kobo, Rakuten Viber and Rakuten Advertising », explains the French subsidiary to LSA.
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