Shearman & Sterling has advised Rakuten on its acquisition of an 80% stake in Tradoria, one of Germany’s leading online e-commerce platforms based in Bamberg.

Rakuten, Inc. (JASDAQ: 4755), through its wholly owned Luxembourg subsidiary Rakuten Europe S.à r.l., acquired an 80% stake in Tradoria GmbH from its founders, certain private equity investors and related business angels on July 28, 2011. 

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Tokyo, Rakuten is one of the world’s leading Internet service companies, providing a variety of consumer and business-focused services including e-commerce, travel, banking, securities, credit card, e-money, portal & media, online marketing and professional sports. It has operations throughout Asia, Western Europe, and the Americas with over 10,000 employees worldwide. 

The Shearman & Sterling team was led by partners Markus S. Rieder (Munich-Mergers & Acquisitions) and Johannes Frey (Munich-Tax), assisted by associates Stefan Falge and Marcus Jerg (both Munich–Mergers & Acquisitions). Further team members were counsels Joachim Grittmann (Frankfurt-Environmental) and Mathias Stöcker (Brussels-Antitrust) and associates Norbert Mückl (Munich-Tax) and Andreas Wieland (Düsseldorf-Mergers & Acquisitions).