Posted on February 2, 2018 by Retail News Editor

Alibaba to acquire 33% equity interest in Ant Financial

Hangzhou, China, 2018-Feb-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA, “Alibaba”) and Ant Small and Micro Financial Services Group Co., Ltd. (“Ant Financial”) today (February 1, 2018) announced that pursuant to 2014 transaction agreements, Alibaba will acquire a 33% equity interest in Ant Financial. The parties have agreed to certain amendments to their 2014 transaction agreements to facilitate the transaction.

Under the terms of the amended agreements, Alibaba will acquire newly-issued equity from Ant Financial in exchange for certain intellectual property rights owned by Alibaba exclusively related to Ant Financial. There will be no cash impact to Alibaba following completion of the transaction. Upon closing, the companies will terminate the current profit-sharing arrangement under which Ant Financial pays royalty and technology service fees in an amount equal to 37.5% of its pre-tax profits to Alibaba.

Daniel Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba Group, said, “This transaction is a significant step for Alibaba to enhance our long-term strategic relationship with Ant Financial as we continue to pursue our mission to make it easy to do business anywhere. Importantly, an equity stake in Ant Financial enables Alibaba and our shareholders to participate in the future growth of the financial technology sector, as well as the benefits of user growth and improved customer experience.”

Eric Jing, Chief Executive Officer of Ant Financial, said, “We are pleased to strengthen our strategic relationship with Alibaba. This marks the next step in our collaboration to generate more strategic synergies and deliver tremendous value proposition to our customers. We look forward to continuing to work with Alibaba as we pursue our mission to bring the world equal opportunities.”

The transaction was reviewed and approved by a committee of non-executive directors, the majority of whom are independent under NYSE rules (the “Alibaba Independent Committee”), the audit committee of Alibaba’s board and the full Alibaba board of directors. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions. Alibaba will acquire the equity interest in Ant Financial through a Chinese domestic subsidiary.

Morrison & Foerster and King & Wood Mallesons acted as legal advisors, Credit Suisse acted as financial advisor and PricewaterhouseCoopers acted as tax advisor to the Alibaba Independent Committee. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Sidley Austin LLP and Fangda Partners acted as legal advisors to Ant Financial.

A detailed summary of the transaction has been filed by Alibaba on Form 6-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102 years.

About Ant Financial
Ant Financial Services Group is focused on serving small and micro enterprises, as well as individuals. Ant Financial is dedicated to bringing the world more equal opportunities through building a technology-driven open ecosystem and working with other financial institutions to support the future financial needs of society. Brands under Ant Financial Services Group include Alipay, Ant Fortune, Zhima Credit, MYbank.

For more information on Ant Financial, please visit our website at www.antfin.com or follow us on Twitter @AntFinancial.

Safe Harbor Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provision of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “targets” and similar statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including but limited to the following: uncertainties as to the timing of the consummation of the transaction and the parties’ ability to consummate the transaction; the timely satisfaction of the closing conditions; regulatory approvals and uncertainties; unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from the transaction; potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationship resulting from the transaction; changes in laws, regulations and regulatory environment; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions; and actions by third parties, including government agencies. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Alibaba’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this announcement is as of the date of this announcement and are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date, and Alibaba does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Media Contacts:
Brion Tingler
Alibaba Group
+1 917 528 1992
brion.tingler@alibaba-inc.com

Fanny Wu
Ant Financial
+86 139 1026 8281
chen.wc@antfin.com

Rachel Chan
Alibaba Group
+852 9400 0979
rachelchan@alibaba-inc.com

Source: Alibaba Group

Posted on October 3, 2017 by EPR Retail News Editors

Alibaba increases ownership in Cainiao to majority stake of 51%; will invest additional US$15.2 billion over the next five years

An additional investment of RMB5.3 billion (US$807 million) will increase Alibaba’s stake to 51%
Alibaba also announces intention to invest an additional RMB100 billion (US$15.2 billion) over the next five years to expand its logistics network

Hangzhou, China, 2017-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA, “Alibaba”) today announced that as a further step to implement its New Retail strategy, the company has agreed to make an additional investment of RMB5.3 billion (US$807 million) to increase its ownership of Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited (“Cainiao”), the logistics affiliate of Alibaba, to a majority stake of 51%. Alibaba also announced its intention to invest RMB100 billion (US$15.2 billion) over the next five years to further strengthen its global logistics network that aims to realize its mission of fulfilling orders in China within 24 hours and within 72 hours anywhere in the world. These investments are expected to enhance the overall logistics experience for consumers and merchants across the Alibaba ecosystem, as well as to enable greater efficiencies and lower costs in China’s logistics sector.

Upon completion of the transaction, Alibaba’s stake in Cainiao will increase from 47% to 51%, and Alibaba will gain one additional new seat on Cainiao’s board of directors, increasing its board representation to four out of seven seats.

The additional investment of RMB100 billion (US$15.2 billion) over the next five years will be used to increase R&D in logistics data technology, as well as for development of smart warehousing, smart delivery and global logistics infrastructure, all of which are core to building the global logistics network of the future.

“Our goal with this investment is to provide comprehensive, first-class experience for consumers globally,” said Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group. “Our commitment to Cainiao and additional investment in logistics demonstrate Alibaba’s commitment to building the most-efficient logistic network in China and around the world. By enhancing the logistics capabilities within the Alibaba ecosystem and extending our investment in this sector, we are further enabling our New Retail strategy to bring online and offline retail into one seamless experience for shoppers. We will also continue to deepen our collaboration with various logistics partners to achieve this goal.”

This transaction is expected to be completed in October 2017, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Following the completion of the transaction, financial results of Cainiao will be consolidated under Alibaba Group and reported as part of the core commerce business segment.

Credit Suisse acted as financial advisor to Alibaba and Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Cainiao.

About Cainiao Network
Cainiao Network is dedicated to meeting the current and future logistics demands of China’s online and mobile commerce sector. It operates a logistics data platform that leverages the capacity and capabilities of logistics partners to fulfill transactions between merchants and consumers at a large scale. It also uses data insights and technology to improve efficiency across the logistics value chain. Cainiao Network is an affiliate of Alibaba Group.

Safe Harbor Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “goal”, “targets,” “guidance”, “commits” and similar statements. Among other things, statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Alibaba’s investment plans or the completion of the transaction, are or contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to Alibaba’s investment plans and the possibility that the various closing conditions for the transaction may not be satisfied or waived. All information contained in this announcement is as of the date of this announcement and are based on assumptions that Alibaba believes to be reasonable as of this date. You should not rely upon these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Alibaba does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

SOURCE: Alibaba Group Holding Limited

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Retail News Editor

Alibaba to invest approximately USD1 billion to increase its stake in Lazada Group

Hangzhou, China/Singapore, 2017-Jul-04 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) announced today ( June 28, 2017) that it will invest approximately USD 1 billion to increase its stake in Lazada Group, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, from 51% to approximately 83%. This transaction demonstrates the continued success of Lazada’s business, Alibaba’s confidence in the growth potential of the Southeast Asian markets and its commitment to the region as part of its global strategy.

Alibaba will purchase the shares of certain Lazada shareholders at an implied valuation of USD 3.15 billion for the company, reflecting a significant increase in the value of Lazada since Alibaba first acquired its majority stake in April 2016. The transaction will increase Alibaba’s total investment in Lazada to over USD 2 billion. Lazada will continue to operate under the same brand following this investment.

Alibaba’s investment in and collaboration with Lazada have been an important part of expanding Alibaba’s global footprint, providing it with unrivalled access to consumers in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. With only 3% of the region’s total retail sales conducted online, Southeast Asia is expected to offer tremendous growth potential.

With Alibaba’s scale, e-commerce know-how and technology expertise supporting the execution of Lazada’s management team, the two businesses have successfully developed a vibrant e-commerce gateway, giving brands and sellers access to the 560 million consumers in the region. The cooperation has also enabled Lazada to invest further in the marketplace, technology, payments and logistics, greatly enhancing its services and providing an unparalleled consumer experience for online shoppers, as well as critical support for the region’s merchants, many of whom are small businesses.

“As a market leader, Lazada has demonstrated its ability to execute and further lead the region in products and services with the best consumer experience in Southeast Asia while growing a strong ecosystem that supports small businesses going online,” said Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group. “The e-commerce markets in the region are still relatively untapped, and we see a very positive upward trajectory ahead of us. We will continue to put our resources to work in Southeast Asia through Lazada to capture these growth opportunities,” he added.

Maximilian Bittner, CEO of Lazada Group, said, “I couldn’t be more excited to deepen our relationship with Alibaba. With their support, we will continue to empower brands and sellers to offer a wide selection of unique assortment to consumers across Southeast Asia while delivering an exceptional customer experience backed by our best-in-class logistics network.”

During the past 12 months, both Lazada and Alibaba worked on a number of initiatives to advance e-commerce in Southeast Asia, endeavoring to lower barriers and facilitate borderless commerce. These initiatives include the establishment of an e-fulfillment center in Malaysia which forms part of Alibaba’s Electronic World Trading Platform (eWTP) strategy, advancing “Thailand 4.0”, and launching Taobao Collection in Singapore and Malaysia allowing local customers to shop for high quality products from China.

Morgan Stanley Asia Limited acted as exclusive financial adviser for the transaction.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102 years.

About Lazada Group

Lazada is the number one online shopping & selling destination in Southeast Asia – present in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Lazada helps more than 100,000 local and international sellers as well as 2,500 brands serve the 560 million consumers in the region through its marketplace platform, supported by a wide range of tailored marketing, data, and service solutions. Lazada offers an excellent customer experience through a wide network of logistics partners and its own first and last mile delivery arm.

Safe Harbor Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expect,” “future,” “continue,” “strategy” and similar statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Alibaba’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release and is based on assumptions that Alibaba believes to be reasonable as of this date, and Alibaba does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Media Contacts:
Rico Ngai
Alibaba Group
+852 9725 9600
rico.ngai@alibaba-inc.com

William Gaultier
Lazada Group
+65 8459 5766
william.gaultier@lazada.com

Source: Alibaba Group

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Retail News Editor

Alibaba Group to host Investor Day on June 8-9, 2017

Hangzhou, China, 2017-Jun-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) today (May 31, 2017) announced that it will host an Investor Day on June 8-9, 2017 China Time at Alibaba Xixi Headquarters, Hangzhou, China. Speakers will include Jack Ma (Executive Chairman), Joe Tsai (Executive Vice Chairman), Daniel Zhang (CEO), Maggie Wu (CFO) and other members of our senior management team.

Alibaba will provide a live webcast of key executive sessions at or around the following times:

Thursday, June 8: 2:15 PM China Time (2:15 AM U.S. Eastern Time)
Presenters: Daniel Zhang, Chief Executive Officer; Maggie Wu, Chief Financial Officer
Friday, June 9: 3:45 PM China Time (3:45 AM U.S. Eastern Time)
Presenters: Jack Ma, Executive Chairman; Joe Tsai, Executive Vice Chairman

The webcast will be available at http://www.alibabagroup.com/en/ir/home. A replay of the webcast and a summary of the day’s presentations will be available through the same links following the event, as well as at http://www.alizila.com.

About Alibaba Group

Investor Relations Contact:
Rob Lin
investor@alibabagroup.com

Media Contact:
Brion Tingler
brion.tingler@alibaba-inc.com

Source: Alibaba Group

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Retail News Editor

Alibaba Group and Bailian Group announce partnership to explore retail opportunities across each other’s ecosystems

Jointly explore development opportunities across each other’s ecosystem

Shanghai, 2017-Feb-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) and China’s leading retailer Bailian Group announced today (February 20, 2017) the formation of a strategic partnership to explore new forms of retail opportunities across each other’s ecosystems. The companies will leverage the power of big data to achieve integration between offline stores, merchandise, logistics and payment tools with the ultimate aim of elevating efficiency and overall consumer experience.

The signing of the strategic cooperation agreement between Alibaba Group CEO Daniel Zhang and Bailian Chairman & President Ye Yongming took place in Shanghai. Zhou Bo, Executive Vice Mayor of Shanghai Municipal Government and Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma witnessed the signing.

Headquartered in Shanghai, Bailian is one of China’s largest and most established retail conglomerates with more than 4,700 outlets across 25 provinces, 200 cities and autonomous regions in China.

Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group said, “New retail reimagines the relationship between consumers, merchandise and retail space by leveraging mobile Internet and big data. It will upend the traditional manufacturing and supply chain, the connection between merchant and consumer, as well as the overall consumer experience. Businesses will increasingly embrace big data and new innovations to better identify, reach, analyze and serve their customers, and their digital transformation will be empowered by Alibaba’s ecosystem. Our partnership with Bailian is an important milestone in the evolution of Chinese retail, where the distinction between physical and virtual commerce is becoming obsolete.”

Ye Yongming, Chairman of Bailian Group said, “A new consumer era calls for a new retail approach. Traditional commerce needs to embrace innovation and change to thrive if they are to ride atop this new consumption trend. New retail is not just the convergence of online and offline worlds. It also means we need to be able to leverage technologies such as the Internet of Things, AI and big data to provide consumers with new and immersive shopping experiences across channels and product categories anytime and anywhere. It is with this shared vision that our companies have joined forces in this strategic partnership to redefine commerce and reshape the retail industry.”

Under the agreement, the cooperation will include:

New retail outlet design: jointly design cross channel store operation and ordering systems to enable real time service solutions for customers at physical stores;
New retail technology R&D: joint R&D in new retail technology in areas such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and big data;
Customer Relationship Management: integrate both companies’ membership base to enhance customer service capability through technologies such as geolocation, facial recognition and big-data driven sales and customer management systems;
Supply chain management: the companies will combine resources in customer insight and supplier channels to help improve merchandise selection and reduce cost;
Payment: Alipay will be made available at all Bailian stores, while Bailian’s payment tools Safepass and Bailian OK Card will be integrated with Alipay to provide a unified third-party payment solution for consumers;
Logistics: Bailian Logistics to work with Alibaba on Cainiao’s logistics platform and co-develop logistics rules to enhance services for both consumers and merchants

The partnership with Bailian is the latest milestone in the development of new retail. Alibaba has coined the term “New Retail” to describe a world where the distinction between online and offline commerce becomes obsolete, as Internet users continue to migrate to mobile devices from desktop computers. Under the new retail model, traditional brick and mortar retailers will be offered the tools to transform their way of connecting with consumers, and improve efficiencies in their inventory and distribution network, as well as payment and logistics systems to provide seamless consumer experience both online and offline consumers.

Consumers in China engage in commerce activities from anywhere at any time with the help of mobile phones. With its big data capability and a mobile monthly active user base of close to 500 million, Alibaba is well placed to enable traditional retailers to upgrade to the new retail model.

About Alibaba Group

About Bailian Group

Bailian Group is a leading state-owned enterprise in Shanghai, and one of China’s largest retail conglomerates. It has operations in more than 200 Chinese cities with 4,700 outlets and 68,000 employees. Launched in 2016, Bailian’s Omni-Channel Platform “bl.com” & “iBailian App” has grown quickly leveraging Bailian’s membership base of 21 million to provide seamless and round-the-clock service to consumers online and offline.

Media Contacts:
Eric Zhao
Board Secretary
Bailian Group
+86-21-63321200
Eric.zhao@bl.com

Cecilia Kwok
Alibaba Group
+852 9132 7709
ceciliakwok@alibaba-inc.com

Source: Alibaba Group

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Retail News Editor

Alibaba becomes the official “Cloud Services” and “E-Commerce Platform Services” Partner of the Olympic Channel

Breakthrough partnership will support the IOC and the Olympic Movement achieve Olympic Agenda 2020 vision in a new digital era

Davos, Switzerland, 2017-Jan-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) today (19 January 2017 ) jointly announced a long-term partnership through 2028. Joining The Olympic Partner (TOP) worldwide sponsorship programme, Alibaba will become the official “Cloud Services” and “E-Commerce Platform Services” Partner, as well as a Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel.

The partnership was announced today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with IOC President Thomas Bach, Alibaba Group Founder and Executive Chairman Jack Ma and Alibaba Group Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang.

Thomas Bach, President of the IOC, said: “In this new digital world, Alibaba is uniquely positioned to help the IOC achieve a variety of key objectives outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020, while positively shaping the future of the Olympic Movement. This is a ground-breaking, innovative alliance, and will help drive efficiencies in the organisation of the Olympic Games through 2028, whilst also supporting the global development of digital opportunities including the Olympic Channel.”

“Alibaba’s partnership with the IOC is built on a foundation of shared values and a common vision for connecting the world and enriching people’s lives,” said Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group. “We are proud to support Olympic Agenda 2020, using our innovations and technologies to help evolve the Olympic Games for the digital era.”

Through this partnership, Alibaba’s contributions to the Olympic Movement will include:

best-in-class cloud computing infrastructure and cloud services to help the Olympic Games operate more efficiently, effectively and securely, including supporting big data analytics requirements;
the creation of a global e-commerce platform for Olympic stakeholders to engage and connect with fans seeking official Olympic licensed products manufactured by the Olympic parties’ official licensees, and selected sports products, on a worldwide basis; and
leveraging Alibaba’s leading digital media technologies and know-how to develop and customise the Olympic Channel for a Chinese audience.

“Alibaba is proud to empower the International Olympic Committee in a game-changing digital transformation, while moving another step closer toward our goal to serve 2 billion consumers,” said Daniel Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba Group. “We will leverage our experience in serving a young user base to help connect more young people to the Olympic Movement, helping to strengthen our brand through this historic partnership.”

Tsunekazu Takeda, the IOC’s Marketing Commission Chair, said: “We are delighted to be working in the long term with Alibaba for the benefit of the Olympic Movement. This strategic partnership underlines the global appeal of the Olympic values and opens an exciting new chapter in this digital age.”

Alibaba is the first company to make a long-term commitment to the IOC through 2028 and the first Chinese company to commit to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Alibaba will support the organisers of each edition of the Olympic Games, and the Olympic Movement around the world. These rights will include advertising and promotional use of Olympic marks and imagery from the Olympic Games as well as marks from the National Olympic Committees.

Alibaba’s global activation rights will include the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games in 2024, 2026 and 2028 in cities yet to be selected by the IOC.

Conference Call Details:

Alibaba Group and the IOC will host a conference call to discuss this new global partnership at 3 p.m. CET / 9 a.m. EST on 19 January 2017.

Dial & Conference ID:

International: +65 6713 5330
US: +1 844 760 0770
UK: +44 203 713 5084
Hong Kong: +852 3018 8307
Conference ID: 56463850

A digital recording of the conference call will be available for replay two hours after completion through 22 January. To access:

Encore Dial-In Numbers: http://www.intercallapac.com/web/encorenumbers
Conference ID: 56463850

Webcast of Press Conference

The press conference will be webcast live and archived by the World Economic Forum at the following link:
https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2017/player?p=1&pi=1&id=87396

About the IOC
The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.25 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

For more information and corporate b-roll visit Alibaba’s new corporate site Alizila.com

IOC Media Relations Team:

Tel: +41 21 621 6000
Email: pressoffice@olympic.org
Or visit our website at www.olympic.org

Videos: YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/iocmedia

Broadcast quality footage: IOC Newsroom: http://iocnewsroom.com/

Photos: For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, follow IOC on Flickr. To request archive photos and footage, please contact: images@olympic.org

Source: Alibaba Group

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Retail News Editor

Alibaba announces proposal to privatize department store operator Intime Retail

Transaction will transform conventional retail

Hangzhou, China, 2017-Jan-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Investment Limited (“Alibaba”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) (“Alibaba Group”) announced today (January 10, 2017) that Alibaba, together with an entity wholly-owned by Mr. Shen Guo Jun, founder of Intime Retail (Group) Company Limited (HKSE: 1833) (“Intime”) (together, the “Joint Offerors”), have requested the board of directors of Intime to put forward to shareholders a proposal to privatize the department store operator by way of a scheme of arrangement.

Shares in Intime will be cancelled in exchange for a payment by the Joint Offerors at HK$10.00 per share, representing a premium of approximately 53.59 percent over the average closing price of Intime shares over the last 60 days, and 42.25 percent over the closing price of HK$7.03 before trading was suspended on December 28, 2016.

Intime is a leading department store chain in China operating 29 department stores and 17 shopping malls, mainly in first- and second-tier cities in China. It has a particularly strong footprint in Zhejiang Province, where Alibaba Group is headquartered. Alibaba currently owns approximately 28% of the equity interests in Intime pursuant to an initial investment in July 2014 and a conversion into equity of convertible debt securities in June 2016. Under the proposed transaction, Alibaba would become the controlling shareholder of Intime and it is expected that its shareholding in the company would increase to approximately 74%.

The proposed transaction reflects Alibaba Group’s strategy to transform conventional retail by leveraging its substantial consumer reach, rich data and technology. With the advent of the mobile phone, the distinction between online and offline consumer shopping experience has become obsolete. “E-commerce” is no longer about shopping in front of a computer at home. Today’s consumers in China engage in commerce activities from anywhere, anytime, with the help of a mobile phone. This dynamic shift to mobile has enabled Alibaba Group to work with brick and mortar retailers to integrate online and offline customer data, enhance consumers’ in-store experience as well as achieve improvements in inventory efficiency and sales turnover. As of the quarter ended September 2016, 78% of the gross merchandise volume on Alibaba Group’s China retail marketplaces was generated from mobile, and mobile monthly active users reached 450 million in the month of September.

“China’s total retail sector is a US$4.5 trillion economy and is growing at 10.7% a year. Alibaba is working with offline retailers to transform conventional approach, create new consumer shopping experience and use actions to embrace future opportunities under the new retail model,” said Daniel Zhang, Alibaba Group Chief Executive Officer. “We don’t divide the world into real or virtual economies, only the old and the new. Those who cling on to the old ways of retailing will be disrupted, and brick and mortar businesses will be able to create value for consumers if they are integrated with the power of mobile reach, real-time consumer insights, and technology capability to improve operating efficiency. Our combination with Intime will enable us to tap into the long-term growth potential of a new form of retail in China powered by Internet technology and data.”

The maximum amount of cash required for the proposal is expected to be approximately HK$19.8 billion (US$2.6 billion). The Joint Offerors are financing the transaction through internal cash resources and/or external debt financing.

The proposed transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval from Intime’s independent shareholders and the sanction of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. Please refer to the joint announcement filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for details of the proposal to Intime shareholders.

The directors of Alibaba Investment Limited jointly and severally accept full responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in this document and confirm, having made all reasonable inquiries, that to the best of their knowledge, opinions expressed in this document have been arrived at after due and careful consideration and there are no other facts not contained in this document, the omission of which would make any statement in this document misleading.

Media Contacts:

Asia
Rachel Chan
Alibaba Group
+852 9400 0979
rachelchan@alibaba-inc.com

Rico Ngai
Alibaba Group
+852 9725 9600
rico.ngai@alibaba-inc.com

US & Europe
Robert H. Christie
Alibaba Group
+1917 860 9410
bob.christie@alibaba-inc.com

Brion Tingler
Alibaba Group
+1 917 528 1992
brion.tingler@alibaba-inc.com

Source: Alibaba Group

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Alibaba: Tmall debuts new products from the biggest electronic brands during the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival

: Alibaba: Tmall debuts new products from the biggest electronic brands during the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival

Hangzhou, China, 2016-Nov-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) today (November 3, 2016 ) announced its plans to bolster Tmall’s position as the leading ecosystem for the most cutting-edge IoT products, and the go-to platform to drive consumer adoption of a technology-enabled lifestyle. As part of the initiative, Tmall will showcase its prowess in the consumer technology category during the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival by debuting new products from some of the biggest names in the industry, including Beats by Dr. Dre, iRobot, Dyson, Leica, among many others.

At a press conference at Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou, Alibaba Group CEO Daniel Zhang and head of Tmall Electronics Jing Yin, gathered with top executives from Beats, iRobot, Intel, the Consumer Technology Association, and other key industry representatives, to discuss the growth of IoT in China, and how the industry can leverage e-commerce to further advance product and technology innovation.

“Over the past 17 years, Alibaba has been constantly evolving our ecosystem to support today’s new era of commerce powered by the Internet and new technologies,” said Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group. “With more than 439 million active users on our platforms, Alibaba owns a robust database of real-time consumer insights that not only fuels our ecosystem, but serves as an extremely powerful source of market intelligence for our partners and clients. As we enter the fast-changing age of IoT, we’re excited to join forces with key global players in the industry such as Intel and CTA to spearhead the creation of a smart living ecosystem that will significantly improve people’s everyday lives.”

Alibaba’s Tmall Electronics marketplace introduced more than 280 new products this fall. Over the years, the platform has transformed from a virtual shopping mall, to an interactive destination for brands and consumers to engage and explore the latest innovations in consumer technology. Many brands are taking advantage of the attention Tmall receives during the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, the world’s biggest shopping day, to promote their new product lines and help consumers discover ways that technology can enhance their lifestyles. For example:

Beats by Dr. Dre will be promoting its new Solo 3 Wireless, the perfect everyday headphone, with extra battery life and enhanced sound quality;
Leica to debut its Leica Sofort instant film camera, a small and compact device for fashion-conscious people who love photography. It comes in a choice of three colors – orange, mint and white.
iRobot will be launching the Braava Jet 240, a mopping and vacuum cleaning robot that tackles dirt and stains in small places;
Dyson to bring its V8 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner through Tmall to Chinese consumers, which can be used to vacuum floors but also converted to a handheld for quick clean ups, spot cleaning and cleaning difficult places;

“Our partnership with Tmall is focused on delivering the best of wireless and premium sound to the tech-savvy, innovation-loving Chinese audience,” said Luke Wood, President of Beats by Dr. Dre, who also joined today’s event. “We hope to grow with Tmall and its consumers as part of our commitment to bring great product to music fans across China.”

Other brands also leveraging 11.11 as a marketing opportunity to launch new products include Samsung, A.O. Smith, Siemens, Midea, Leica, Bowers and Wilkins, and more. In the weeks leading up to 11.11, participating companies were given a wide selection of engagement opportunities to maximize their brand exposure and consumer interaction during this period, from mobile live streaming, virtual reality shopping, interactive content, games and entertainment, to online-to-offline promotions.

“This year’s 11.11 is testament to our commitment in bringing more innovative smart living products to Chinese consumers,” said Jing Yin, President of Tmall Electronics, Alibaba Group. “Our vision is to collaborate with key players in the industry such as platforms, trade organizations, and brands, to create an open framework that allows innovative companies of all sizes to develop, display, and distribute their products in a far-reaching way. Our common goal is to bring about meaningful change and improvement to consumers’ lives.”

About the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival

The 11.11 shopping festival began in 2009 with participation from just 27 merchants as an event for Tmall.com merchants and consumers to raise awareness of the value in online shopping. Seven years later, 11.11 has become a global event with participating merchants in the tens of thousands, buyers in the millions, and total sales in the billions.

For additional history and facts from last year’s festival, as well as the latest news and updates on the 2016 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, please visit Alizila http://www.alizila.com.

About Alibaba Group

Media Contacts:

Sharon Chan
Alibaba Group
+1 415 361 8219
sharon.chan@alibaba-inc.com

Cathy Yan
Alibaba Group
+852-9012-5806
cathy.yan@alibaba-inc.com

Source: Alibaba Group

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Posted on September 8, 2015 by EPR Retail News Editors

METRO GROUP launches its official flagship store exclusively on Alibaba Group’s Tmall Global platform

The two companies establish strategic partnership to expand their e-commerce endeavors in China
METRO GROUP opens cross-border e-shop on Alibaba Group’s Tmall Global platform offering German goods to Chinese consumers
METRO GROUP and Alibaba Group to explore further collaboration opportunities in sourcing, supply chain and big data

Düsseldorf, Germany, 2015-9-8 — /EPR Retail News/ — METRO GROUP today announced a strategic partnership with the leading Chinese online and mobile commerce company Alibaba Group to promote business in China’s rapidly growing e-commerce market. According to the agreement signed by both firms today, the German retailing company METRO GROUP is launching its official flagship store (https://metro.tmall.hk) exclusively on Alibaba Group’s Tmall Global platform offering a range of German products to the Chinese consumer.

Operating over 80 wholesale markets in China under the banner METRO Cash & Carry, METRO GROUP is now expanding its channels by opening on Tmall Global innovative cross-border e-shop platform to further tap the great potential of the Chinese consumer market. The online storefront will sell products of METRO GROUP’s sales divisions’ private labels as well as supplier brands from Germany. In the first phase, over 100 products in the categories of dairy, canned foods, coffee, and chocolate from METRO Cash & Carry Germany as well as cosmetics goods from Real are to be offered online. The product assortment is planned to be expanded with more food items from METRO Cash & Carry and non-food from Real on the e-shop.

“We are pleased to enter into this remarkable partnership with Alibaba Group. E-commerce is one of our strategic growth drivers in China. Opening the flagship store on Tmall Global again shows our clear confidence in the Chinese market, where we possess a solid commercial position and proven track record for high quality and broad assortment,” said Olaf Koch, Chairman of the Management Board of METRO AG. “This latest innovative platform enables us to deliver more quality imported goods and German brands to the Chinese customers through our competence in global sourcing and supply chain.”

The international shipping from Europe to China is performed in advance to ensure sufficient stock is stored in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone warehouses. Chinese customers are thus able to benefit from cross-border delivery directly from the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and fast customs clearance fulfilled by Alibaba Group’s specialized service team.

Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group, said: “This partnership will encompass collaboration in areas including cross-border e-commerce, logistics, rural e-commerce, online supermarket and online-offline initiatives. Insights provided by Alibaba Group’s Big Data will help METRO GROUP effectively capture the demand for quality imported products among Chinese consumers. Additionally, Alibaba Group and METRO GROUP will work together to help more European consumer brands establish fast-track solutions for expanding into the Chinese market.”

In addition to the cross-border e-shop, both companies also agree to explore omni-channel and comprehensive collaboration opportunities in areas including global sourcing of quality products in different categories, supply chain optimization and market insights leveraging on big data. For example, METRO GROUP will support the establishment of the Germany Pavilion on Tmall by introducing high-quality German products from small to medium-sized brands to Chinese consumers.

About METRO GROUP
METRO GROUP is one of the largest and most important international retailing companies. In the financial year 2013/14 it generated sales of around €63 billion. The company operates around 2,200 stores in 30 countries and has a headcount of around 250,000 employees. The performance of METRO GROUP is based on the strength of its sales brands that operate independently in their respective market segments: METRO/MAKRO Cash & Carry – the international leader in self-service wholesale – Media Markt and Saturn – the European market leader in consumer electronics retailing – Real hypermarkets and Galeria Kaufhof department stores.

About METRO China
Having entered the Chinese market in 1996, METRO currently runs 82 wholesale markets in 57 cities in China with over 12,000 employees, serving about 4 million professional customers. Over the past nearly 20 years, METRO China has successfully developed its competence in food safety and quality assurance, freshness and wide assortment. E-commerce is one of the strategic growth drivers for METRO China.

About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company is the largest online and mobile commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Founded in 1999, the company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help businesses leverage the power of the Internet to establish an online presence and conduct commerce with hundreds of millions of consumers and other businesses.

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