A flurry of fund-raising news is making the headlines today, showing that private equity and venture capitalists are still hard at work investing in China, even as many of their traditional favorites in the overheated Internet space are getting the cold shoulder. At the same time, the inevitable has finally happened with the first concrete report that cash-challenged clothing retailer Vancl has re-started its long-delayed IPO process, with an aim of making a public listing in New York potentially by the end of this year.
Tag Archives: Alibaba
eBay Returns to China With Xiu eBay联手走秀重返中国
After failing badly in its first attempt in China, US e-commerce giant eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) is preparing for a second try at the market by teaming up with a local player online apparel seller named Xiu.com. Media reports are citing an unnamed knowledgeable source about this latest tie-up, but from my perspective it seems quite credible as eBay has been reportedly looking for a new China partner for much of the last year. (Chinese article)
Desperate Dangdang Joins TMall 当当网携手天猫 绝望中求生存
A day after announcing the arrival of a new chief financial officer (previous post), we’re getting word that fast-fading e-commerce superstar Dangdang (NYSE: DANG) is preparing to join hands with a major competitor by opening a new storefront on Alibaba’s TMall. The CFO change and now this latest tie-up with a rival all reflect the growing reality that Dangdang is rapidly fading from China’s fiercely competitive e-commerce crowd, and could even become one of its first major victims. One could even say this latest series of moves reflects a certain desperation, as Dangdang tries to reverse a worrisome trend that has seen its losses balloon over the last year.
Online: Jingdong, Baidu, Dangdang 京东进军电子支付 百度营收放缓
A number of interesting tidbits are sifting through the online world today, including news from the e-commerce space that Jingdong Mall is entering the electronic payments space and that Dangdang (NYSE: DANG) has replaced its CFO. Meantime, online search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) has reported its latest results that show its growth continues to slow, with the rapid rate of the slowdown slightly alarming.
Suning Links With Vancl, 24Quan Shutters 苏宁易购联手凡客诚品 24券暂时停业
New signs of consolidation are appearing in the overheated in e-commerce and group buying spaces, with Suning.com (Shenzhen: 002024) again emerging as a potential major consolidator in e-commerce as a mid-sized group buying site named 24Quan closes up shop. The e-commerce news is easily the more interesting of these 2 bits, as China’s group buying sector has largely run out of cash by now and most players are tottering on the brink of insolvency. By comparison, the e-commerce field is backed by a big number of cash-rich companies like Suning, Alibaba and Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), which have indicated they are prepared to lose big money for a long time to defend and build their positions in a country likely to become the world’s biggest e-commerce market in the next 5-10 years.
E-Commerce: Jingdong, Suning, Alibaba 电商：京东商城、苏宁易购、阿里巴巴
After a brief quiet spell, e-commerce is suddenly splashing back into the headlines on several fronts, with big news coming from the sector’s top 3 players, Alibaba, Jingdong Mall and Suning.com (Shenzhen: 002024), as each chases new business. Alibaba leads off the headlines with word that it’s preparing to launch a major new promotion on its popular TMall platform; while Jingdong is getting ready to launch a major overseas foray; and last but perhaps most interesting is Suning.com, which is chasing a new acquisition.
Jingdong’s Courrier Wars: More E-Commerce Chaos 申通封杀京东商城
I’ve been trying to ignore a noisy war of words developing between e-commerce giant Jingdong Mall and one of its key couriers, but I’m finally surrendering and writing about it because it’s a relatively slow news day and also I haven’t written for a while about China’s chaotic e-commerce space. This particular issue is part of what looks like a broader growing discord between Jingdong, which also goes by the name 360Buy, and many of the courier companies that deliver the millions of goods that consumers buy online. Such discord is just as much a sign of the chaos that now plagues China’s e-commerce space as it is of the rampant competition that has pushed most major players deeply into the red.
Baidu Turns Up Anti-Piarcy Tune 百度展开反盗版行动
Internet search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) made plenty of noise last year when it announced a series of landmark licensing agreements with major Hollywood music labels, trumpeting the move as part of its drive to wean itself from the trading of pirated material on its platforms. But while it tooted its horn over the deals with Universal, Warner Music (NYSE: WMG) and Sony Music (previous post), it also quietly continued to operate its controversial music swapping platform that was the source of much of the earlier criticism. Now in an interesting move, Baidu is being much more low-keye in what looks like its attempt to quietly de-emphasize and perhaps eventually phase out the controversial music swapping service.
Alibaba Under New Merchant Assault 阿里巴巴或面临中小商户新一轮声讨
E-commerce leader Alibaba loves to talk about how the business model for its popular TMall online mall gives it an edge over most of its rivals by letting it focus on its role as a web mall operator while leaving the actual business of managing online stores to third-party merchants. But the company is much less talkative about some of the downsides to such a business model, most notably the issue of quality control for the products and service provided by thousands of merchants that sell their goods on TMall. A sharp and sudden price hike in store rentals fees by TMall last year provoked a sharp backlash from many smaller merchants, creating huge headaches and a publicity nightmare for Alibaba. Now, many of those same small- and medium-sized merchants, known in the industry as SMEs, are complaining once again about new policies that Alibaba says are designed to improve quality and customer service, even as the SMEs argue those policies discriminate against them and lack transparency. (Chinese article)
News Digest: September 28, 2012 报摘： 2012年9月28日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on September 28. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
- BYD (HKEx: 1211) in New Jam as Founder Jumps (English article)
- CNOOC (HKEx: 883) Confident on Nexen (Toronto: NXY) Deal After Canada Talks (English article)
- China Mobile (HKEx: 941) to Start TD-LTE Terminal Procurement (English article)
- Hollywood Supports Taobao Removal From Black List, Apparel Makers Oppose (Chinese article)
- Nike’s (NYSE: NKE) Earnings And China Orders Fall (English article)
News Digest: September 27, 2012 报摘： 2012年9月27日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on September 27. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
- Yum (NYSE: YUM) China Celebrates 25th Anniversary and 4,000th KFC Restaurant (Businesswire)
- Lawmakers Press For Broader Restraints on China Solar Imports (English article)
- Alibaba’s AliCloud to Cooperate with Knock-off Handset Makers – Source (English article)
- 7 Days Group (NYSE: SVN) Announces Privatization Proposal at $12.70 Per ADS (PRNewswire)
- Japan Automakers Slow Output in China Amid Darkened Outlook (English article)
