At least two more years with Rakuten
It is no surprise to insiders that the Frenchman has been given the highest
European position, as Rakuten has bought
‘his’ PriceMinister three years ago with a very specific condition:
Kosciusko-Morizet had to lead the European integration and expansion of the
e-commerce platform for at least five years.
By appointing him into this position, the Japanese clearly show they wish to
continue the collaboration, even though Kosciusko-Morizet has downplayed the
suggestion with French business paper Les Echos. “This is no sign for the
future, but merely proves business is
going great right now.”
The appointment is nevertheless another sign that Rakuten means business
regarding its European ambitions. Acquiring PriceMinister opened the French
door very quickly, paving the way for a European foothold. The company’s next aims are “to become number one in every country” and “expand into countries like Italy and Poland”.
