New CEO at Groupon SA, Emilian Popa, says that the company is the biggest and most successful online retailer in the country.<\/p>\n
Popa made the claim in an interview with CNBC Africa after the company announced his appointment late last week.<\/p>\n
Popa’s comments are sure to raise the eyebrow of Takealot CEO, Kim Reid.<\/p>\n
Reid recently said that, while Naspers-owned Kalahari.com is the largest e-commerce site in SA, he expects Takealot – with growth exceeding 100% – to overtake the SA leader within the next 12 months.<\/p>\n
In May, Takealot, said it raised $100 million (just over R1 billion) from its major shareholder, Tiger Global Management.<\/p>\n
“Groupon South Africa spent a lot of money on marketing, acquired a huge number of subscribers and customers, which makes it the biggest and most successful online retailer in this country today,” Popa told CNBC Africa.<\/p>\n
When questioned about the size of Kalahari, Popa said he was not aware of the numbers.<\/p>\n
Launched in 2010, Groupon South Africa features one daily deal on the best things to do, see, eat, and buy in a variety of cities across South Africa. It forms part of a wider, listed operation, present in 49 countries.<\/p>\n
Initially a group buying website, Popa said that the site is becoming, more and more, an e-commerce company.<\/p>\n
“We plan, globally – and in South Africa as well – to expand into a number of categories and products, from home, fashion, and anything that can be sold online and that people are looking for,” he said.<\/p>\n
Popa has taken over the reigns from two of the founding members of the SA business, Daniel Guasco and Wayne Gosling, who are stepping down.<\/p>\n
“I wouldn\u2019t say it competes directly with Takealot and Kalahari. Groupon is still a flash-sale dealer-online retailer, whereas Kalahari and Takealot are more into categories than catalogue sales,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We are a profitable company here in South Africa, so we have enough cash flow to sustain growth,” Popa said.<\/p>\n
Groupon SA appoints new CEO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Takealot: we will be the biggest e-commerce site in SA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n