Overview
Rakuten France, formerly PriceMinister, was one of France's best-known online marketplaces, where professional and private sellers sold new and second-hand products. The marketplace closed permanently on 30.09.2026, together with its Spanish marketplace. Brands can no longer sell through Rakuten France and should move their French marketplace sales to other channels.
What happened to Rakuten France
PriceMinister launched in 2001 as one of France's first marketplaces connecting buyers and sellers, both private and professional. Japan's Rakuten Group bought it in 2010 for about EUR 200 million and rebranded it as Rakuten France in 2018. It was known for its Club R loyalty programme, which gave members points on their purchases, and for its strong position in books, culture and second-hand products. At its peak it had around 12 million Club R members and thousands of professional sellers, including large retailers such as Boulanger, Carrefour and Darty.
In April 2026 Rakuten started a process to sell its French marketplace. When none of the offers met its criteria, it announced in July 2026 that the marketplace would close, and on 28.07.2026 it stopped accepting new sellers. Rakuten pointed to a fast-changing market and the rise of new foreign platforms. The Club R loyalty programme stopped awarding points on 13.08.2026, and the marketplace stopped all sales on 30.09.2026 at 23:59. Around 180 employees were affected. Rakuten's other services in France, such as Kobo, Rakuten TV and Viber, are not affected.
What this means for sellers
- Seller contracts ended when the marketplace closed.
- Payouts. Seller funds are held with the payment provider Mangopay, and sellers had to request withdrawal of their funds by 10.11.2026.
- Support. Rakuten's seller support stays available until 30.11.2026 for questions about transactions, payments and refunds.
- Integrations. Multichannel tools such as Lengow have shut down their Rakuten France connectors.
Alternatives in France
Brands that sold on Rakuten France can look at other French marketplaces, such as Amazon.fr, Cdiscount, Fnac Darty, E.Leclerc, Boulanger and specialist marketplaces in their category. See our Cdiscount and Fnac pages.
How eBrands looks at Rakuten France
eBrands works with brands on marketplaces across Europe and North America. If you lost a sales channel with the closure of Rakuten France and want to find the right replacement, we are happy to talk it through.
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