Allegro Makes $1 Billion East Europe Expansion to Rebuff Amazon

Poland’s dominant e-commerce platform, Allegro.eu SA, agreed to buy a Czech peer for $1 billion, gaining a foothold in promising east European markets at a time of intensifying competition from Amazon Inc. on its home turf.

The acquisition of Mall Group and logistics company WE|DO in a 881 million euro ($1 billion) cash-and-stock deal will give Allegro access to 32 million people in countries including Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia, almost doubling its reach compared with Poland’s market.