Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has closed a strategic investment in convenience store chain operator Fook, the company posted on its official WeChat account on Tuesday, without revealing financial details. Fook, founded in 2006, runs 1,719 stores mainly in East China’s Fujian province and is ranked as the 10th largest chain by the China Chain Store & Franchise Association.
The investment in brick-and-mortar shops will help JD.com to compliment its retail network and develop businesses such as neighborhood group-shopping, on-demand delivery, and retail-plus service, the company said.
JD.com already runs on online procurement platform called Jinhuobao for various offline retailers such as mom-and-pop stores and is competing with Alibaba’s Lingshoutong, Courier Best’s Store+, and startups like Yijiupi.
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This article is part of KrASIA’s “China Brief” section, where KrASIA’s reporters will provide quick daily updates about the tech ecosystem in China.