Groupon, is an online based company that offers special deals to various cities in the United States. The company launched itself in 2008 and in 2 years has expanded into 300 markets and 35 countries.

Google is near a deal to acquire Groupon, the popular online discounter, for as much as $6 billion.  At that price, Groupon would be one of Google’s largest acquisitions.  (2nd Biggest Acquisition: $3.1 billion purchase of DoubleClick, the display advertising giant, in 2007.)

The deal is worth $5.3 billion with an additional $700 million earnout based on performance.The average Groupon deal offers 50 to 90 % off retail goods and services, from restaurant certificates to skydiving lessons. It has grown beyond local stores to work with retailers like Gap, which offered a nationwide deal this summer.

(Gap sold 440,000 units and generated $11 million in revenue from advertising deal with Groupon)

Groupon’s success has helped turn the company into a cash-generating machine, signing up more than 12 million registered users and reaping more than $350 million in estimated annual revenue.

Mashable.com recently posted 2 article’s about Google’s new acquisition and the penalties the company may face due to complaints filed by competitors and regulators.

Click the links below to read more about Google & Groupon:

1. http://mashable.com/2010/11/30/google-groupon-6-billion/
2. http://mashable.com/2010/12/01/groupon-stores-deal-feed/