Rakuten in the company in August 2007 and, in 2010, it announced a joint venture with Baidu in China (Lekutian). In June 2011, Rakuten acquired Brazilian e-commerce firm Ikeda — since renamed Rakuten Brazil. In July, it bought German e-commerce start-up Tradoria and rebranded it Rakuten Deutschland, and in September UK online retailer and e-commerce marketplace Play.com for £25 million (almost $41 million), which was converted into the points-based loyalty program Rakuten.co.uk. In September 2011, Rakuten took a minority equity stake in Russian online retailer Ozon.ru, dubbed "Russia's Amazon", which had reported 2010 sales worth US$137 million. A four-company-strong consortium, led
The Works (retailer) 2008 by Endless for around £17 million, would have an IPO and a valuation of £100 million. The Works (retailer) The Works is a discount retailer based in the United Kingdom selling an extensive range of books, art and craft materials, gifts, toys, games and stationery. It has over four hundred stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. In March 2007, The Works acquired 26 outlets of the chains "Bargain Books" and "Bookworld", after their parent company went into administration. The Works itself entered administration in January 2008 and in May 2008, the business was subsequently purchased by the private