Groupon Starting to Think Hyperlocal

Groupon Inc.’s decision to fire Andrew Mason puts pressure on Chairman Eric Lefkofsky to find a replacement who can create a money-making business after the daily-deal provider lost US$723.8-million in the past three years. As chief executive officer, Mason presided over a plummeting stock price, restated earnings and at least three quarters of results that missed analysts’ expectations. Mason, 32, addressed his ouster yesterday in a letter to employees, joking about needing a “fat camp” to lose weight even while accepting responsibility for Groupon’s shortcomings.

Last November, in a post entitled “Numbers Behind Groupon’s Business Warrant Caution After First Day Pop”, I cautioned investors that the IPO of daily deal leader Groupon (GRPN) looked sky-high at the initial offer price of $20 per share, which valued the company at an astounding $13 billion:

Last week’s TechCrunch report on Groupon‘s reported February earnings slide could present far-reac

A little more than two years ago, Groupon was the apple of the startup community’s eye. It had turned down a $6 billion acquisition offer from Google and was headed for a remarkable IPO. Today, no one really knows what Groupon’s future holds. But it doesn’t look good.

By Mazen Abdallah:Much has to be said about the viability of Groupon’s (GRPN) business model. Commentators across the board have accurately identified significant obstacles to Groupon’s continued growth and aspirations of becoming a profitable enterprise.

There’s a Groupon for just about everything these days, including live concerts.

By Investment Directions: Last week, just about everything that could go wrong for Groupon's (GRPN) pending IPO did. Friday, alone, had four dismal reports that could deflate Groupon’s IPO hopes. The week’s Reports That Punctured Groupon’s IPO prospects Wednesday’s Reports: