Rakuten has acquired French website Priceminister as part of plans to create a global online trade platform.

Japanese online retailer Rakuten is expanding into Europe after acquiring French marketplace PriceMinister, which may have an impact on people ordering parcel deliveries around the globe.

The acquisition of Priceminister is part of Rakuten's plans to create a global platform where people can place delivery orders from anywhere in the world, helping online merchants to expand their businesses as well.

Priceminister.com is the most visited e-commerce site in France, with more than 11 million users accessing it every month and more than 100,000 active sellers.

According to Euromonitor International figures, France's e-commerce market is one of the fastest-growing on the continent, predicted to expand by nearly 20 per cent between 2009 and 2010.

"We are delighted to join hands with PriceMinister which is a respected brand in France providing consumers with the best online shopping service," commented Hiroshi Mikitani, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Rakuten.

According to research by the UK European Consumer Centre, people in the UK are becoming much more confident with using e-commerce platforms to buy goods and services.

Posted by Tom Sands.

Article Added: 18/06/2010 09:28:10