Leading E-Commerce Firm in $425 Million Sale to Japanese Internet Portal

Cleary Gottlieb is representing LinkShare Corporation in its pending sale to Rakuten, Inc.  The cash sale is valued at approximately $425 million and is expected to close in the next few weeks.

New York-based LinkShare is a privately held e-commerce company.  Established in 1996, it is a leader in e-commerce marketing, with more than 10 million e-commerce relationships.  Among LinkShare’s over 500 clients are J.C. Penney, 1-800-Flowers.com, American Express, Avon Products and Dell.  LinkShare was named New York’s fastest-growing technology company for two years running on the Deloitte & Touche Fast 50 list.

Rakuten is Japan’s most diversified Internet portal, with sites for on-line shopping, auctions, travel, financial services, and broadband entertainment.  One of Japan’s most recognized Internet brands, Rakuten also owns Japan’s newest professional baseball franchise, the Rakuten Eagles.