As we reported earlier this afternoon. Rakuten will be closing its operations in the UK from August. But it looks like there will be a greater reduction of service in Europe with the closure of Rakuten marketplaces in Spain and Austria too. Austrian users will be able to use the German site.
In a press release Rakuten says that they will be refocussing energy on the operations in France and Germany and note they will continue to innovate: “Rakuten will continue to evolve the ecommerce business model in countries across Europe, including initiatives such as the launch of a new Price Club to enhance membership loyalty in France and Rakuten Pro in Germany, a low-commission model for merchants aimed at enhancing service quality. Rakuten will also continue to grow its presence in Europe across its diverse business portfolio, from e-commerce to digital content businesses such as Wuaki and Kobo, to the Viber messaging platform and the adtech business Rakuten Marketing.”
2 Responses
It does not surprise me. A crap back end system which resulted in little or no sales
I gave it a try in 2013, got fleeced £300 to sign up to the marketplace and sold nowt. You have to try these things but yeah rubbish.