China’s second-largest e-commerce company JD.com recently made a pitch to attract more European luxury brands to its site, claiming faster delivery and better protection against counterfeits than rival Alibaba. After opening its first European office in Paris in January, the company is planning one in Milan and is also partnering with Spanish brands.
The company is looking for other venues as it expands, its international president Winston Cheng told journalists at the World Retail Congress in Madrid. Both JD.com and Alibaba Group’s Tmall are major sponsors of the congress, according to a news agency report.China's second-largest e-commerce company JD.com recently made a pitch to attract more European luxury brands to its site, claiming faster delivery and better protection against counterfeits than rival Alibaba. After opening its first European office in Paris in January, the company is planning one in Milan and is also partnering with Spanish brands. #
JD.com launched Toplife platform in October last year to woo luxury buyers with same-day deliveries and premium services, including extra clean and secure warehouses with special air filters. TopLife’s major rival is Tmall’s Luxury Pavilion, a similar portal launched in August.
Cheng said Toplife had already signed up 20 brands, including names from the Kering group such as Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen.
While the focus now is on expansion in southeast Asia, the company could eventually make moves into Europe, he added. (DS)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India