이 기사는 2021년 03월 31일 08시07분 thebell에 표출된 기사입니다

EBay Korea has shortlisted four firms interested in the ecommerce company on Monday.

Singapore-based Qoo10 has been excluded from the shortlist while SK Telecom, Emart, a discount store chain affiliated with retail conglomerate Shinsegae Group, Lotte Shopping and MBK Partners have advanced to the next round of bidding.

Qoo10 has failed to make it to the shortlist due to its relatively poor financial situation, according to sources.

Most of the shortlisted bidders have reportedly offered more than 4 trillion won ($3.52 billion) for the company, but offer prices may change after due diligence as preliminary bids are non-binding.

EBay Korea operates ecommerce platforms Gmarket and Auction. It has a gross merchandise value (GMV) of 17 trillion won, with a 12% share in the country’s online shopping market behind only Coupang.

MBK Partners is reportedly considering buying eBay Korea to create synergy with South Korean supermarket chain Homeplus which it acquired in 2015. The firm may want to strengthen online retail services by acquiring eBay Korea, with offline supermarket chains suffering a plunge in sales.

Lotte Group and Sinsaegae Group could expand their reach to online shoppers. Lotte recently launched its own ecommerce service Lotte On, and Sinsaegae, which has a relatively weak presence in ecommerce market, may strengthen its open market platform through the acquisition.

About 11% of eBay’s total revenue comes from its South Korean operations, whose revenue has continued to grow from 951.8 billion won in 2017 to 981.1 trillion won in 2018 and 1.06 trillion won in 2019 and 1.12 trillion won in 2020. Operating income was 62.3 billion won in 2017, 48.5 billion won in 2018, 61.5 billion won in 2019 and 83 billion won in 2020.

EBay Korea is the only profitable firm in the local ecommerce market, having been in the black for 15 consecutive years. This, combined with a vast volume of customer data, is likely to boost its appeal. (Reporting by Si-eun Park)