Groupon launches aggressive recruitment drive in China

Groupon has not placed any official recruitment ads. According to industry sources, the recruitment is currently being managed by headhunters, mainly targeting marketing and sales positions.

"They are expecting to hire 1, 000 employees within three months - it really says something," said an undisclosed source.

In December, Groupon raised US$950 million from investors for its international expansion. Many Chinese e-commerce observers believe that a good part of that money will be committed to the China market.

Groupon has been in talks with Chinese Internet giant Tencent to set up a joint venture, which will allow it to enter and operate in the country.

There's also an investment connection between Tencent and Groupon. Roughly five per cent of Groupon is owned by Mail.ru for which Tencent was one of the major investors before the Russian firm's recent IPO.

Group buying websites feature a daily deal that becomes valid once a minimum number of buyers sign on. Groupon was launched in Chicago in 2008 and has since expanded to hundreds of cities in dozens of countries.