BEIJING—Deals website Groupon Inc. appears to be making preparations to start operations in China, a move that could shake up the market for group buying, even though challenges lie ahead for the young U.S. company.
Chicago-based Groupon, which opened in 2008 selling discounted products and services from local merchants such as restaurants and nail salons, faces a huge Internet market that has confounded some of the world’s biggest players.
China has more than 450 million Internet users, more than any other country.
In a Beijing office adorned with a large Groupon sign, staff are conducting job interviews. A person in the office on Saturday said the company operates Gaopeng.com.
The website, which appears to come from a Chinese phrase meaning “cherished friend sitting around the table,” is listed as registered by someone at Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd., of Shenzhen, China, a 10% stakeholder in Russian Internet firm Digital Sky Technologies, one of Groupon’s backers.
Groupon would be entering a market as hundreds of other domestically run websites are racing to take advantage of the growing popularity of group discounts on the Internet.
Full Story: Groupon gears up to expand into China
