An Irish-based subsidiary of online auction giant eBay recorded a loss last year of €2.6 million in spite of revenues increasing by 2 per cent to €54.7 million.

According to accounts just filed with the Companies Office, they show that Shopping Epinions International Ltd (SEIL) recorded the loss of €2.6 million in the 12 months to the end of December last year after recording a loss of €2.7 million in 2010. Revenues at the Dublin-based firm last year increased from €53.4 million to €54.7 million. The principal activity of SEIL is that of an online premium consumer review platform and a reliable source for consumer insight, unbiased advice, in-depth product evaluations and personalised recommendations

According to the directors’ report “2011 has seen the continuation of the focus on adding more merchants to the sites in the four countries in which the company operates”. It adds: “ As a result, there has been a strong year-on-year increase in merchant revenue. Sponsor revenue has declined year on year as a result of changes to Google’s algorithm during the year.”