Rakuten announced the much-rumored acquisition of US e-commerce company Ebates, which operates a number of shopping_sites, for $1 billion_this week, but it is far from done with efforts to expand in North America. The Japanese company has acquired smaller rivals_in Western markets in the past — including_Buy.com for $250 million in 2010, and Europe-based Play.com for $39 million in 2011 — and although_its outlay on Ebates is far higher, it is_one that the company actually sees as a bargain. “A billion-dollar deal is very strategic and smart in this case,”_Yaz Iida, executive VP of Rakuten USA and senior executive officer...
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