The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
BEIJING, China — Walmart Inc said on Monday it has opened its first small-sized high-tech supermarket in China, which will stock products that customers will also be able buy on the US retailer's store on Chinese online marketplace JD.com.
The move comes as "smart retail" gains popularity in China, as retailers and tech giants such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd cut deals to integrate shoppers' online and offline experience.
Walmart's store, located in the southern city of Shenzhen, will stock more than 8,000 items ranging from stir-fried clams to fresh fruit, 90 percent of which will also be available online.
Items shopped can be delivered to customers within a 2-kilometre radius as quickly as 29 minutes, said Walmart, which owns a stake in JD.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
Walmart said that customers at the new supermarket will be able to use a mini programme on Tencent Holding Ltd's WeChat as they shop, and bypass traditional checkout counters by paying via their mobile device.
By Pei Li and Brenda Goh; Editor: Muralikumar Anantharaman.
Nordstrom, Tod’s and L’Occitane are all pushing for privatisation. Ultimately, their fate will not be determined by whether they are under the scrutiny of public investors.
The company is in talks with potential investors after filing for insolvency in Europe and closing its US stores. Insiders say efforts to restore the brand to its 1980s heyday clashed with its owners’ desire to quickly juice sales in order to attract a buyer.
The humble trainer, once the reserve of football fans, Britpop kids and the odd skateboarder, has become as ubiquitous as battered Converse All Stars in the 00s indie sleaze years.
Manhattanites had little love for the $25 billion megaproject when it opened five years ago (the pandemic lockdowns didn't help, either). But a constantly shifting mix of stores, restaurants and experiences is now drawing large numbers of both locals and tourists.