American retailer Walmart Inc. has opened its first smart supermarket in Shenzhen, China equipped with the logistics support of the country’s second largest retailer JD.com and Tencent’s mobile payment system, according to an official WeChat post.
Airbnb China To Share Host Information With Chinese Government
Airbnb has emailed its hosts in China that the company will start sharing host information with the Chinese government to comply with local laws and regulations as soon as March 30th.
KKR Launches One-Stop Digital Marketing Company Cue & Co. In China
KKR today announced the launch of a multi-brand digital marketing company in China, as the global investment firm aims to create a consolidated marketing platform in the segmented Chinese digital marketing space.
Alibaba Injects $2B Into Lazada To Accelerate E-commerce In Southeast Asia
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. today said it will inject a further US$2 billion into Southeast Asian online shopping giant Lazada to accelerate the region’s e-commerce development.
Starbucks Opens Pet-friendly Cafes In China As Competition Intensifies
Starbucks Coffee Co. is launching two pet-friendly cafes in China, a differentiation strategy to compete with the rising local bubble tea and coffee brands.
Shenzhen Tiantu Joins Zhou Hei Ya To Establish $475M Retail Investment Fund
Chinese venture capital firm Tiantu Capital and an affiliate have partnered with Zhou Hei Ya International, a Chinese fast food chain known for its spicy braised duck, to establish a RMB3 billion (US$475 million) fund to invest in the consumer sector.
Gaw Capital Buys Hong Kong Shopping Mall Portfolio From Link REIT For $2.9B
Hong Kong-based real estate investment firm Gaw Capital Partners said it has completed a deal to acquire a retail portfolio comprising 17 shopping centers in Hong Kong via one of its funds and consortium partners including Goldman Sachs.
Tencent, JD.Com To Invest $257M In Chinese Retail Chain Better Life In Continued Offensive To Alibaba
Tencent Holdings Ltd. and JD.com Inc. plan to invest US$140 million and US$117 million respectively for minority stakes in Chinese retail chain Better Life Commercial Chain Share Co., Ltd., in the latest transaction after a string of deals in the retail and e-commerce sector for the pair.
Alibaba To Invest $865 Million In Chinese Home Improvement Chain Easyhome
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. will invest around RMB5.45 billion (US$865 million) for a 15% strategic stake in Beijing Easyhome Furnishing Chain Store Group Co., Ltd. as part of its "New Retail" business model, the company announced Sunday.
Tencent Built Its Empire With 600 Deals In Six Years, Now It Wants To Bury Alibaba
China Money AI is our news writing robot. These articles are edited by humans Tencent has invested over RMB100 billion (US$16 billion) in more than 600 companies during the past six years to build an empire worth over US$500 billion, making it the sixth biggest company in the world. Now the Chinese social networking and gaming giant is eyeing the next battlefield it plans to win: the core retail business of its arch rival Alibaba Group.
China’s Baidu Rumored To Raise $2B Round For Financial Unit
China’s tech giant Baidu Inc. is seeking a new funding round of up to US$2 billion for its wholly-owned finance unit to push into the financial services sector and compete with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd, according to media reports citing insiders.
Tencent Reported To Lead $1.59B Investment In Chinese Menswear Group Heilan Home
Tencent Holdings Ltd. is reported to have lead a RMB10 billion (US$1.59 billion) deal to invest in Chinese menswear group Heilan Home Co Ltd., the latest in a string of investments in the brick-and-mortar retail space by Tencent as it competes with e-commerce giant Alibaba.
China’s New Hope Group Leads $92M Round In Secondhand Car Financial Platform Miliche
Chinese agribusiness company New Hope Group has led a US$92 million series B round in Meiliche Financial, a secondhand car financial services platform, with participation from personal finance management firm Wacai, the company announced.
Tencent, Suning, JD.Com And Sunac To Invest $5.4B In Dalian Wanda Commercial In Retail Offensive
Tencent Holdings Ltd. has teamed up with investors including Suning Holdings Group, long-time partner JD.com Inc. and Chinese property developer Sunac China Holdings Group to acquire around 14% of Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co. for approximately RMB34 billion (US$5.4 billion), the Chinese social networking and gaming giant said today.
Tencent Buy Strategic Stake In US Film Producer Skydance Media
China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd. has made a strategic investment in American media company Skydance Media, LLC as part of a production and distribution partnership, according to Skydance’s announcement.
Tencent, Yonghui Superstores To Invest In Carrefour China
Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Shanghai Stock Exchange-listed Yonghui Superstores has signed a term sheet with Carrefour regarding a potential investment in Carrefour China, the French retailer announced today.
Alibaba Taiwan Entrepreneurs Fund Leads $15M Round In Fitness Brand Space Cycle
Alibaba Taiwan Entrepreneurs Fund, a non-profit initiative of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd., has led a RMB100 million (US$15 million) series B round in Space Cycle, a Taiwanese fitness brand.
China’s JD.com Co-Leads New Funding Round In Vietnam’s E-commerce Platform Tiki
China’s e-commerce platform JD.com Inc. has agreed to co-lead a series C round in Vietnam’s leading business-to-customer e-commerce platform Tiki, marking JD.com’s latest push in the Southeast Asian market to compete with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Amazon.com Inc.
DealShot: Lightspeed, Gobi Join $145M Round In Chinese Consumer Finance Platform Black Fish
China Money Network’s DealShot provides detailed information on venture capital and private equity deals in China on a daily basis. Here you can find out where Chinese investors have been investing their money in at around 5pm each workday.
GGV Co-Leads $50M Round In Chinese Used Luxury Goods Marketplace Xinshang
Venture capital firm GGV Capital and Joy Capital have led a US$50 million series C round in Xinshang, a customer to customer marketplace for secondhand luxury goods in China.
Google Joins Qiming, Shunwei In Series D Round In Chinese Online Game Streaming Platform Chushou TV
Chinese online game streaming platform Chushou TV announced that it has raised a series D round from Google Inc. and existing investors Qiming Venture Partners, Shunwei Capital and Alpha X Capital.
Fosun Acquires 18% Stake In Tsingtao Brewery For $844M To Boost Bet On Consumer Sector
Fosun International Ltd. announced plans to acquire 18% of Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd. for US$844 million, as the Chinese conglomerate appears inclined to ink more deals in the consumer sector while unwinding some of its property investments.
Tencent Acquires 5% Of Yonghui Superstore To Rival Alibaba In New Retail
Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. plans to buy a 5% stake in Shanghai Stock Exchange-listed Yonghui Superstores, in a move to compete against rival Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. in the new retail space.
Jack Ma Sees His Private Equity Fund Yunfeng Capital Hitting $100 Billion In Assets
When you are Jack Ma, you never think small. The founder and executive chairman of Chinese technology giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. says he thinks that Yunfeng Capital, the private equity fund he co-founded, will one day rival the most powerful money managers in the world.
Alibaba Invests $2.9B In China Hypermarket Chain Sun Art In New Retail Push
Chinese Internet retail giant Alibaba Group Holding Limited has formed a strategic alliance with French retailer Auchan Retail S.A. and Ruentex Group to pursue new opportunities in China’s food retail sector. As part of the strategic alliance, Alibaba will invest a total of HK$22.4 billion (US$2.88 billion) to obtain an aggregate 36.16% stake in Sun Art Retail Group Ltd., a Chinese hypermarket operator listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Alibaba is buying the stake from from Ruentex, for around …
Alibaba Leads US$335M Series E Round In Chinese Used Car Transaction Platform Souche
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has led a US$335 million series E round in Chinese used car online transaction platform Souche, with participation from Warburg Pincus, Primavera Capital and CMB International. This round takes place less than 12 months after the a US$100 million series C round completed in November 2016 led by Ant Financial, and less than 6 months after a US$180 million series D round completed in April 2017 led by Warburg Pincus. After this round of financing, Alibaba …
Dah Chong Hong And CITIC To Jointly Raise New Consumer And Healthcare Fund
Dah Chong Hong Holdings Ltd., a Hong Kong-listed distributor and dealer of motor vehicles in Greater China, said it plans to partner with its parent company that is a subsidiary of CITIC Ltd. to establish an investment fund to back consumer and healthcare companies.
Hillhouse Capital’s Lei Zhang Defends $6.8B Privatization Of China’s Biggest Shoe Retailer Belle International
When China’s largest footwear retailer Belle International was delisted from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in July following a US$6.8 billion take-private deal, the news was greeted with melancholy. "The Official Fall Of The King Of Shoes", read one headline, catching the sentiment of the time.
Alibaba To Inject $807M In Its Logistics Affiliate Cainiao Network To Enhance Delivery Services
Chinese Internet giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has agreed to make an additional investment of RMB5.3 billion (US$807 million) to increase its ownership of Cainiao Network and to become a controlling shareholder of its logistics services affiliate.
Chinese Cashier-Free Stores Are Burning Cash, But Can They Make Money?
Venture capitalists are throwing money at China’s cashier-free convenience stores. But will they actually make money, or learn once again that retail, even tech-driven retail, is a brutal business of low margins, low barriers to entry and high fixed costs?
Tiger Global Co-Leads $230M Series C+ In Chinese Fresh Produce E-commerce Platform MissFresh
U.S. investment firm Tiger Global Management LLC and China’s Genesis Capital have led a US$230 million series C+ round in MissFresh, a Chinese fresh produce e-commerce platform in China backed by Tencent Holdings and other investors.