General
Singles’ Day has once again been a great success for Alibaba: in total, consumers bought 268 billion yuan (35 billion euros) worth of goods, setting a new record. However, criticism from environmentalists of such ‘sales splurges’ is growing.
» Read more
In the past quarter, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba once again saw a strong increase in turnover and profit. Flourishing cloud activities are at the basis of the growth, which was bigger than expected.
In ten years' time, we may well no longer know 11 November as an Armistice, but rather as a shopping holiday? If that were to be the case, it would be due to Alibaba, who this year even managed to entice Taylor Swift. Even Carrefour has come over to the idea.
Alibaba is aiming for no less than one billion active consumers each year by the end of 2024. The Chinese retail group is expected to generate more than ten trillion Chinese yuan (approximately 1200 billion euros) in gross sales.
The new generations of consumers are shopping radically different compared to their parents. This forces retailers to reinvent themselves drastically. But it's no reason to be intimidated: there are many opportunities. "Would you think Amazon offers such a great experience, maybe?
Alibaba blows out twenty candles: in 1999, Jack Ma started building his way to the top from his apartment. How did the journey from thirsty teacher to universal stardom go? And as Ma steps down, what is still in store for Alibaba?
AliExpress, an Alibaba subsidiary, has opened its first physical store in the Spanish capital Madrid. The Chinese say Spain is their major target in Europe.
Alibaba Group seems to be handling the current trade war between China and the US quite well, as its turnover and profit growth went into double figures again. Moreover, the Chinese company is preparing the acquisition of competitor Kaola.
Amazon just celebrated its 25th anniversary. In that short time, Jeff Bezos' creation changed retail forever. But more than that: the company has made an indelible mark on the global economy. Is the world getting divided between Team East and Team West?
Tmall, the online platform for Western Alibaba brands, is updating the look of its virtual shops. The new concept, Flagship Store 2.0, offers more personalisation, brand experience and augmented reality.
Roland Palmer will be stepping down as CEO of Alibaba in the Benelux, and he will be the last one to have held that position: the region will be broken up, with Belgium and Luxemburg being assigned to France. Meanwhile, Tmall is still expanding with an anglophone portal.
The list of biggest retailers in the world is dominated by American companies, with Walmart and Amazon at the top. While challengers from China are continuing to rise, Belgian-Dutch Ahold Delhaize climbes to fourteenth.
Chinese retail giant Alibaba is looking at the possibility of a flotation on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The company is looking to raise billions in extra capital and become less dependent of the United States by appealing directly to Chinese investors.
After an analysis of the general terms and conditions on the AliExpress website, a group of consumer organisations say that Alibaba fails to live up to the European consumer rights regulation.
In its last financial year, Alibaba saw its turnover and profit reach double-digit growth again. Pushed by new algorithms, conversion rates in China soared - making it the only branch of the company that is already profitable.
Cosmetics
Will WeChat creator Tencent become Kruidvat's co-owner? The Chinese tech company is considering taking an interest in A.S. Watson, the group behind the drugstore chain. Tencent's rival Alibaba is also interested.
