Mergers and Acquistions News
Categories: Media & Information Services
September 12th 2011, 15:38PM
Google has announced its acquisition of dining ratings advisor Zagat.
The move is to push the organisation into the local commerce market, which typically offers discounts and reviews of restaurants in the users' region.
Google did not provide financial details of the takeover but Zagat had been valued at $125 million (£79 million) and was placed on the market for $200 million in 2000.
Founded by Tim and Nina Zagat, the 32-year-old review company offered pocket guidebooks to city restaurants prior to going online.
Google vice-president of local, maps and location services Marissa Mayer described the service as being one of the earliest models of user-generated content.
Speaking to Reuters, she added that it also gives people a sense of what to expect from a city they are visiting.
"Zagat reviews, in a few short lines and a few scores, give you a great sense of a place very quickly when you're on the go," she remarked.
Last month, Google proposed a merger with Motorola, which could see it produce its own mobile hardware devices. 
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