Rakuten France Announces European Marketplace Expansion: Spain as the First Step in a Strategic Rollout

• Rakuten France S.A.S.

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Paris, September 15, 2025 - Rakuten France, a leading player in French e-commerce and a pioneer in the circular economy, today announces its international marketplace expansion, with Spain as the first strategic market. This new marketplace will offer Spanish consumers and merchants an e-commerce experience that combines accessibility, high-quality service and responsible consumption, powered by Rakuten France's technological expertise, particularly in artificial intelligence. This marks the beginning of an ambitious, phased development plan for Rakuten France's marketplace operations across Europe.

Driving international growth with an optimistic vision for e-commerce

Rakuten France is reaching a pivotal milestone in its journey by embarking on international expansion. This strategic decision to enter the Spanish market aligns with its optimistic vision for e-commerce, supported by a successful model already proven in France. As a digital, inclusive shopping mall, Rakuten France enables safe interactions between buyers, sellers and brands. Its unique partnership approach ensures that the Rakuten France marketplace platform never competes with its merchant "clients."

This expansion is built upon three strategic pillars that drive Rakuten's success in French e-commerce:

• Supporting merchants in their digital transformation and logistics with innovative, tailored solutions such as Rakuten Fulfillment Network (RFN), an international network of logistics experts handling complete order management - from storage to shipping, tracking and returns. 99.8% of orders placed before 2 p.m. and handled by the Rakuten Fulfillment Network are delivered to their destination within 24 hours.
• Boosting purchasing power, embodied by the Club R cashback program, the most generous loyalty program in French e-commerce, which has already redistributed over €200 million to shoppers.
• Championing responsible consumption with a diverse selection of second-hand products, including pre-owned and refurbished items.

Rakuten France's expansion into Spain represents a tangible first step in scaling this unique and virtuous model across Europe.

Spain: a key market and the starting point for a bold strategy

With over 30 million online consumers and an e-commerce market that exceeded 95 billion euros in 2024, up 13.1% year-on-year (CNMC), Spain offers tremendous potential for Rakuten France's next phase of growth.

The rollout follows a staged approach. From today, Rakuten France offers an optimized version of its marketplace in Spain, with two clear goals: to provide Spanish consumers with attractive prices and deliver an outstanding shopping experience.

The initial offering focuses on key consumer product categories, such as tech and home appliances. To ensure fast and reliable service for both sellers and buyers, Rakuten France will leverage its robust Rakuten Fulfillment Network (RFN) and strengthen its offering through enhanced affiliate partnerships, boosting the platform's visibility and competitiveness.

This initiative draws on Rakuten France's proven artificial intelligence expertise. AI plays a pivotal role in:

• Automatic, context-aware translation of thousands of product listings
• Continuous optimisation of the search function, exploring semantic search.
• Adaptation of navigation interfaces to meet Spanish consumer preferences.

Product offerings will be expanded gradually, integrating the features that have driven the success of Rakuten France. Spanish consumers will gain access to the Club R cashback program, allowing them to earn money back on their purchases. Rakuten's second-hand marketplace will also grow, featuring refurbished and pre-owned items across a variety of categories (culture, tech, appliances, gaming and more) to meet growing demands for sustainable consumption and align with environmental challenges.

Cédric Dufour, CEO of Rakuten France and Rakuten TV, stated, "This expansion marks a major turning point for Rakuten France. It also reflects our vision of e-commerce as a source of value for all and a driver of positive impact. We are entering the Spanish market with a clear strategy, building on our expertise, particularly in supporting sellers. The integration of AI into our approach, designed and implemented by our in-house teams, reflects our agility and ability to innovate. We have an ambitious roadmap, with the resources, vision and team to make it a reality. We are particularly keen to forge strong partnerships with Spanish retailers to grow together in this dynamic market."

Rakuten France is committed to providing Spanish buyers with a high level of security and comprehensive after-sales support. As a trusted third party, the digital shopping mall maintains stringent standards for secure payments and the prevention of fraud and counterfeiting.

About Rakuten France

Rakuten France is part of the Rakuten Group, a global technology leader in services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to 2 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has approximately 30,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/

A key player in French e-commerce and a pioneer in the circular economy, Rakuten France is a generalist shopping platform offering new, second-hand and refurbished products sold by both professionals and individuals. Guided by an optimistic vision of commerce, Rakuten France helps over 13 million members increase their purchasing power with the Club R cashback program, which provides a unique model to earn money back on online purchases.

Rakuten France also supports more than 12,000 professional sellers and partners in their digital transformation through a wide array of online services. These include the Rakuten Fulfillment Network, launched in 2022, which provides access to a global network of logistics experts delivering simple, efficient and cost-effective solutions to meet e-commerce logistics needs.

For more information, visit: global.fr.shopping.rakuten.com/actualite/