(For other news from Reuters Retail and Consumer Summit, click
on http://www.reuters.com/summit/GlobalRetail12)
By Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Alistair Barr
NEW YORK, Sept 14 (Reuters) – Groupon Inc is
working on cross-border and multi-country deals as the world’s
largest online daily deals provider looks for newer ways to
build global market share and help retailers broaden their
footprint, a top executive said.
“That really is where we have added advantage, being in 48
countries,” said Rajen Ruparell, vice president of global sales,
speaking at the Reuters Retail and Consumer Summit in New York.
“We can do national deals with retailers not only in the
United States or Europe but in countries where they would like
to build their footprint in, and some of them are starting to
realize that opportunity now,” he said.
Ruparell, who took over as sales chief last month, said
Groupon is in discussions to expand its deal with
language-learning software maker Rosetta Stone, helping
take Rosetta beyond the 10 countries it is in currently.
“One of the discussions we’ve been having actively with
them is seeing how we can expand their global footprints outside
of the U.S. into the mid-European countries,” said Ruparell,
adding that Russia is one such market which could see a Rosetta
Stone deal within a week.
Once hailed as the fastest growing Internet company ever,
Groupon has shed about three-quarters of its market value since
its November 2011 debut on the Nasdaq, as a sharp slowdown in
revenue growth raised questions about the sustainability of its
business of selling discount vouchers online.
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(Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in New York and Alistair
Barr in San Francisco; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
