Groupon Buys 3 Discount Sites, Expands Into Asia

Online group discount Website Groupon said on Wednesday that it has acquired three deal websites in Asia, expanding the company's reach across East and Southeast Asia.

Groupon Inc, which is rumored to be close to being bought by Google Inc, acquired uBuyiBuy, Beeconomic and Atlaspost for undisclosed terms. Atlaspost had more 1.2 million users in Taiwan, Groupon said.

Groupon sends its members daily e-mails with details of discounts for 200 goods and services. The deals are activated only when a minimum number of people agree to make a purchase, giving Groupon the clout to negotiate steep group discounts on products and services.

The three companies, active in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore would transition to the Groupon brand in a few months, it said.

Groupon also launched Groupon Hong Kong, Groupon Singapore and Groupon Philippines and Groupon Taiwan on Wednesday.

"We see enormous potential in the Asian marketplace," Groupon President Rob Solomon said in a statement.

Groupon's global network has more than 33 million subscribers in 35 countries.