Emart has agreed to purchase eBay’s businesses in Korea. Execution of the fully negotiated and finalized purchase agreement is contingent upon the Bank of Korea’s acceptance of the filings related to foreign exchange transactions. The form of the purchase agreement, agreed upon by the parties, is subject to change only by mutual agreement between eBay and Emart. Pursuant to the transaction, eBay will sell an 80.01% stake in its Korean businesses for 3.44 trillion KRW (or approximately $3.0 billion) of gross cash proceeds.
“After a thorough strategic review and competitive sale process, we are excited to come to an agreement with Emart,” said Jamie Iannone, chief executive officer, eBay. “This deal brings together two strong ecommerce and retail companies that can unlock tremendous potential in Korea and provide more choice for customers. We believe this move further optimizes our portfolio and creates value for eBay shareholders.”
Emart expects this will enhance its same-day delivery capabilities and improve its fulfillment centers’ capacity utilization.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are acting as financial advisors to eBay. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Kim & Chang are acting as legal advisors to eBay.