Rakuten unites flea market apps to counter top rival

Japanese e-tailer challenging Mercari by merging 2nd- and 3rd-ranked apps

0207N Rakuten flea market app

Users of Rakuten's Rakuma flea market app, right, are being urged to move to Fril, the rival app acquired in 2016.

Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Japan's largest online retailer Rakuten is combining two flea-market services under its umbrella into a single app in pursuit of a larger share of a market dominated by compatriot Mercari.

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