About Groupon

Summary: Groupon is the UK's leading group buying website and features a different deal every day in 34 cities across the UK and Ireland. Groupon provides offers on local restaurants, spas, beauty salons, gyms, online shopping, tickets for gigs and performances, and much more, at discounts which are always over 50% and up to 95% off the normal price.

History: Groupon launched in the US in 2008 and spread to the UK through the acquisition of MyCityDeal in May 2010. MyCityDeal had launched in January 2010 in London, and has since spread to virtually every major city in the country.

How it works: Anyone can view and reserve deals simply by visiting Groupon.co.uk. Once enough people have signed up to a deal it becomes active and everyone is sent a voucher by email. If not enough people sign up then the deal is cancelled and no-one is charged a penny. This is great for groups of friends: everyone can team up and take advantage of a fantastic offer. However, there is often a maximum number of deals that can be bought, and they usually only run for 24 hours - so customers need to get in there quick and book their deal before the time is up.

Example deals: £5 for a £25 voucher to create your own stylish photo book with Albelli (11,934 sold); £12.50 instead of £66 for 1 year access to the Streetcar fleet (1,874 sold), and £8 for £20 worth of food at Rodizio Preto Brazilian restaurants in London (3,006 and 4,866 sold). Other brands that have issued deals through us include Cineworld, Itsu, MySingleFriend, Dermalogica, Virgin Wines, Supper Club and Glasses Direct.

Business benefits: Groupon has also proved a hit with local businesses, allowing them access to 2 million subscribers at no upfront cost through Groupon's newsletters and social media. Groupon effectively guarantees large numbers of new customers, and has so far driven millions in revenue for local merchants.

Quick Facts:

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