CHICAGO, August 17, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Groupon (http://www.groupon.com), a local shopping website that offers a daily deal on the best goods, services and cultural events in 230 markets across the world, has announced the launch of Groupon Japan and Groupon Russia via acquisition of daily deal sites Qpod (http://www.qpod.jp) and Darberry (http://www.darberry.ru), respectively. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Both Qpod and Darberry launched earlier this year and will be led by the companies' founders: Keisuke Seto of Qpod-Groupon Japan and Alexey Chernyak of Darberry-Groupon Russia, both with significant sales and technology experience. Qpod and Darberry will transition to the Groupon brand name and site design in the coming months.

The launch of Groupon Japan and Groupon Russia reaffirms our global expansion into Asia and deeper into Europe, said Rob Solomon, president and chief operating officer of Groupon. We are focusing our people and capital on markets with the largest return on investment and these markets represent a tremendous global e-commerce opportunity for us.

Groupon Japan and Groupon Russia will join Groupon's global network, offering unbeatable deals to more than 13 million subscribers in 29 countries and saving hundreds of millions of dollars for consumers since the site's launch in November 2008. Groupon employs more than 1,200 people worldwide.

About Groupon

Groupon, launched in November 2008 in Chicago, features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, eat, see, and buy in more than 230 markets across the world. Groupon uses collective buying power to offer unbeatable prices and provide a win-win for businesses and consumers. For more information, visit http://www.groupon.com.

SOURCE: Groupon

CONTACT: Julie Mossler of Groupon, +1-312-242-2033, julie@groupon.com