BEIJING, Aug. 3, 2021 — JD.com, China’s largest retailer and the parent company of JD CENTRAL, ranked 59th on the Fortune Global 500 list released on August 2. Up by 43 places comparing with last year, JD.com has made the list for the 6th consecutive year, as the largest "retail and internet service" company in China and the third largest internet company globally.
JD.com’s recent development is recognized by Fortune, as it describes: "With nearly 500 million customers, JD.com’s revenue soared 40% to $32 billion in the first quarter of 2021, compared with the previous year, buoyed by resurgent demand from Chinese customers emerging from the pandemic and new partnerships with popular brands like Starbucks and sports retailer Decathlon."
Over the past six years, JD.com has moved up 307 places on the list from its first appearance at 366th in 2016, representing the unique advantage of JD’s business model based on supply chain ability and the economies of scale realized after years of investment.
The company has transitioned from a top retail platform to a leading supply chain-based technology and service company with businesses ranging from retail, technology, logistics, health, insurance, property development, industrial products and services, plus international business.
In 2018, together with Central Group, JD.com launched JD CENTRAL to further its international business expansion in Southeast Asia.
DUARTE, Calif., Aug. 3, 2021 — iPower Inc. (Nasdaq:IPW), one of the leading online hydroponic equipment suppliers and retailers in the United States, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to lease a new warehouse and logistics facility in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.
"With the ongoing strong demand for hydroponics products and accessories, our need for world class distribution and logistics facilities has been increasing rapidly," stated Chenlong Tan, CEO of iPower. "This newly built state of the art facility will have approximately 100,000 sq ft of useable space and is strategically located near an international airport in Ontario, CA. Our new facility will more than double our current warehouse capacity and will help support our robust growth plans."
About iPower Inc.
iPower Inc. is one of the leading online retailers and suppliers of hydroponics equipment and accessories in the United States. iPower offers thousands of stock keeping units from its in-house brands as well as hundreds of other brands through its website, www.zenhydro.com, and its online platform partners all of which are fulfilled from its two fulfillment centers in southern California. iPower has a diverse customer base that includes both commercial businesses and individuals. For more information, visit iPower’s website at https://ir.meetipower.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that iPower believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. iPower undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although iPower believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and iPower cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in iPower’s filings with the SEC.
For more information, please contact: Sherry Zheng Weitian Group LLC Phone: 718-213-7386 Email: shunyu.zheng@weitian-ir.com
DUBAI, UAE, July 28, 2021 — Companies in Africa are increasingly turning to alternative methods of securing financing to more quickly grow their operations as traditional commercial capital has become more difficult to access in the current economic climate.
Demands placed on qualified start-ups with competitive business models and experienced leadership teams have greatly extended the lending cycle across many African nations. And when business loans are available the cost of capital has increased.
The Infinity Group reports that new businesses in areas such as renewable energy, technology and e-commerce, all examples of sectors poised to spark economic growth in key African markets, are turning to new funding alternatives to more quickly and effectively get businesses up and running and expand operations.
The Infinity Group is one of a number of financial service groups creating opportunities for hedge funds, pension funds, sovereign wealth groups, angel investors and others from around the world to co-op funding in well qualified and vetted early-stage companies in major African business hubs.
In the past year, for example, The Infinity Group has helped numerous fast-growing companies on the continent secure financing through its pool of international investors. This includes companies operating across a broad range of sectors in South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria and Botswana, among others.
With this alternative financing model, The Infinity Group does all due diligence and market analysis while providing ongoing oversight and support to the companies on behalf of the investors. The companies are able to secure funding at competitive rates and extended terms while also contributing to job creation and economic growth in their local markets.
-Complete Entire Purchase within App, from Discovery to Payment for Smooth Shopping Experience-
Paidy Inc., Japan’s leading "Buy Now, Pay Later" provider, has announced the release of its new app that allows consumers to browse and discover the items they want across thousands of online merchants and use Paidy’s "Single-Pay" or "3-Pay" service to pay for their purchases.
With the new Paidy app, consumers can choose Paidy as their payment method at all online merchants that accept Visa. They can choose to pay next month, or in three interest-free(*1), monthly installments with 3-Pay. A "Shop & Discovery" feature has been built into the app, which allows consumers to browse stores and search for items. Consumers can also select categories they are interested in for suggestions of merchants and items that best suit their interests. By saving their favorite items in the "wishlist," consumers can set up their own, personalized shopping plan. The entire shopping experience, from discovery to purchase, is completed entirely within the Paidy app.
The expansion of merchants that accept Paidy has been achieved through partnerships with Visa and Orico.
With the mission to "Take the hassle out of shopping," Paidy aims to create an environment where everyone can shop wisely and enjoyably. Benefits such as the simple user experience, convenience of next-month single-pay or 3-pay payment, and the ability to manage their money wisely with their smartphone have attracted many consumers, with the number of accounts currently exceeding six million(*2). Paidy can be used at more than 700,000 online merchants, including Amazon and Qoo10, and with the launch of the Paidy Link service in April 2021, it is now possible to shop for the goods that they love at PayPal’s 31 million merchants around the world, all via PayPal checkout. The Paidy Plus for Apple, which launched in June and can be used to make purchases at Apple Retail Stores and the Apple Online Store, has also been well received. The revamping of its app symbolizes Paidy’s bid to go beyond a mere payment service to become the "shopping platform" that customers cannot do without. Mobile shopping is fast becoming standard, with close to 70% of online shoppers mainly using their mobile phone or smartphone to access online shopping services(*3). Paidy offers those consumers a more enjoyable and convenient shopping experience.
Russell Cummer, Founder and Executive Chairman of Paidy Inc., commented: "With the release of the new app, customers will be able to shop anywhere with Paidy. As well as paying for their purchases, they can enjoy the shopping experience itself from within the Paidy app. We believe that enjoyable shopping through Paidy’s super simple customer experience and the wise, comfortable choice of interest-free 3-pay payment will become the de facto standard for online shopping in Japan. Customers can look forward to even better things from Paidy as an innovator in E-commerce."
Paidy will continue to update the shopping experience for its customers through the provision of innovative services.
Notes:
(*1) Interest-free installment payment is available only with account transfers or bank transfers.
(*2) including Taiwan business
(*3) From Hakuhodo Institute of Life & Living’s Chronological Lifestyle Survey (2020). Percentage of respondents who answered "mainly cellphone or smartphone" to the question, "What device do you use to access (online shopping) services? (if you use the service)"
*Amazon is a registered trademark of Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates.
JOE BONAMASSA’S GROUNDBREAKING UPCOMING NFT AUCTION OFFERS THE RARE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN THE MASTER AND PUBLISHING OF ONE OF HIS SONGS
GUITAR HERO WRITES NEW SONG "BROKEN RECORD" AS NFT TO ENCOURAGE GREATNESS FOR THOSE WHO CHALLENGE THEMSELVES TO BE BETTER
LOS ANGELES, July 23, 2021 — For over 30 years now, acclaimed guitar hero Joe Bonamassahas paved his own path in the music industry. Now Bonamassa is teaming up for his latest venture with Heritage Auctions, where he and longtime business partner Roy Weisman are changing the rules of the NFT game to offer one of the most intriguing, high value offers out there. The truly unprecedented lot sets Joe as the first musician to sell his music publishing in an NFT as part of this digital + physical collection, which also features his own "Holy Grail" 1959 Gibson Les Paul Sunburst guitar and 1963 Fender Vibroverb amp that were used to record the song. What truly raises the stakes in the world of art and music, is the value. Here the reserve bid is worth the gear alone, yet Bonamassa is giving a once in a lifetime opportunity to ALSO become the owner of the master and publishing for one of his songs, "Broken Record." It’s an innovative move that shows just how ahead of the game Joe’s team is. Always on the quest to evolve artistically while simultaneously challenging the infrastructure of the music industry, and a true musical pioneer, Joe has done it again.
Bonamassa went to Oceanway Studio in Nashville in May 2021 to record a special song that he wrote just to be used for this special NFT. The song "Broken Record" is an ode to taking control, just as Bonamassa is doing with his NFT concept. He shares of the song’s origins, "it’s the same complaints. I’m going to lose weight. I’m going to do something with my life. I’m going to make changes. And they never do… and they sound like a broken record. I do that too. I decided to write a song about it. I’ve wanted to do this for a while, and when the idea came up for this project with Heritage, I thought ‘I should write that broken record song,’ and I did."
"Broken Record," along with the NFT auction, is a movement that’s meant to inspire not only artists and creators, but the everyday person. It’s a reminder for people to hold themselves accountable, stand up against the status quo, and make strides to be the best that they can. With this NFT, Bonamassa and Weisman didn’t want to sound like a broken record doing the same thing as everyone else who had jumped on the bandwagon. Instead, they wanted to take hold of the reigns, make it their own, and make it the best offering out there.
Bonamassa calls this lot "the one-song record company" because it totally transforms the way musicians can make a business from their intellectual property. Weisman elaborates: "That is what this NFT concept gives artists — the opportunity to raise capital on an independent basis that will allow them to overstep the so-called gatekeepers of the music industry."
"One of the things that I like about being an independent artist is that Roy and I came up with this idea," Bonamassa says. "We didn’t have to run it up any sort of chain of command. It was like, let’s do this because it feels right. And it’s the next logical step in how independent artists are going to be on equal footing with major labels."
Weisman says "we’re now truly in a unique time in the music business where it is completely just supply and demand. People can find artists online anytime, people can buy their music, investors can invest in them without an artist having to go through a typical major label or even large independent label system that is heavily weighted against artists from the start."
This history-making auction from the music-business revolutionary is far from routine; then, nothing Bonamassa does is ever ordinary.
Joe’s auction lot is filled to the brim with highly collectible items, including not only some of the most prized musical instruments on the planet, but pairing them with a series of certificates of authenticity as cutting-edge non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The type of guitar has been used by rock royalty such as Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield. The instrument with the "unmatched deep, throaty sound," as David Schiller writes in his book Guitar, was the ax that built rock and roll.
Non-fungible tokens are changing the business world and Bonamassa’s clever use of the new technology is now allowing other artists to build what is their own business. Bonamassa’s auction is unique and stands to reshape how musicians make and sell their art. This incredible lot includes 13 items individually tokenized on the Ethereum blockchain. Each physical item will have a digital NFT component. This lot is a dream come true for any serious collector of vintage gear or NFT investor looking to diversify their portfolio.
It should surprise no one who follows Bonamassa’s career that he’s leading this revolution. No guitarist has ever received as much coverage in the music and business media as the two-time Grammy Award nominee who has topped Billboard’s Blues chart 24 times – at only the age of 44, no less. Only last year, in fact, Forbes heralding the guitarist for "Taking Control Of His Business, Building A Brand And Investing In Himself."
Bonamassa, a wunderkind who opened for B.B. King when he was just 12 years old, learned early on never to trust the industry: His 2000 debut A New Day Yesterday, released on a Sony subsidiary, was a critical smash, with Billboard hailing the comer as "a bold talent who rises above narrow radio formatics." Problem was that major labels have no time for bold talents who don’t get played on the radio. Bonamassa and Sony parted ways.
For many musicians, that would have been the end of the story. For Bonamassa, it was only the beginning of the beginning: In 2002 the guitarist and his longtime manager and business partner Roy Weisman created J&R Adventures – a self-contained label, management, marketing and concert promotion company. Which has meant that for the last 20 years, they haven’t had anyone looking over their shoulder, anyone telling them what to do or where to go, anyone telling them no.
"We go against the grain by nature, and that’s how we’ve been successful," Weisman says. "I’m not really looking to get the input of the industry because quite frankly, I think the mainstream industry won’t like independence. And with this auction, we’re going to show the world how to merge their copyrights, their intellectual property and sell it directly to an investor without a middleman like a major record company taking a major piece of the money and leaving them without any core assets. Now with the NFT, artists have an opportunity to build capital for themselves to then build what is their own business. And that is a beautiful thing. It’s a game-changer."
The way both men tell it, the idea of selling the guitar and amp and the song in a single auction lot was an easy one, just another inevitable next step in the evolution of their revolution. It took Weisman and Bonamassa all of 20 minutes to settle on the concept and its eventual execution, which resulted in a full-blown studio session during which the guitarist recorded something of which he’s extraordinarily proud … which no one, outside of the winner, might ever hear.
Joe explains "if three people hear the song and that’s it, I’m still proud of the work. If it’s licensed for film or TV and everybody hears the song, even better. But the fact of the matter is, I’m proud of the song whether three people hear it or 30 million hear it. It doesn’t matter. My approach would not have changed."
"And in the end, we came to the conclusion that if we’re going to do this, let’s make a splash. This is going to be really cool."
To prospective auctioneers, Joe encourages people to get in on the action. "Enjoy your NFT and thank you very much for participating. And by the way, show this to all your friends. Hell, you own it!"
ITEMS IN THIS LOT:
1 Vintage Guitar from Joe’s Collection -1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, Serial # 9 0346
1 Vintage Amp From Joe’s Collection -1963 Fender Vibroverb, Serial # 00352
1 Original Song by Joe Bonamassa -Track name: "Broken Record" -Written and Produced by Joe Bonamassa -Mixed and mastered by Kevin Shirley -Executive Producer: Roy Weisman -(will include WAV file for digital playback and Master for Manufacturing) -Master Rights and Publishing included – Rules as stated on Agreement
4 Videos -1 Full Live Studio Performance Video -EPK Interview about Song -Guitar "Origin" Video -Amp "Origin" Video
Original handwritten Lyric Sheet – Signed by Joe
1 Original Cover Art design -1500×1500 digital JPEG image -J&R Retains Copyright of the design, NFT owner CANNOT use for Merch or Commercial use
1 Joe Bonamassa Hand-Signed Lithograph -Exclusive cover art printed and Hand Signed by Joe (1 of 1 original) -Framed, 21-inch X 21-inch
4 Concert Tickets & 4 Meet & Greet Passes to One Joe Bonamassa Show every calendar year. – Tickets and M&G passes must be used for the same show. – Where Joe Bonamassa is the sole headline artist (no festivals or special events). – Only if there is a scheduled Meet & Greet for the applicable show. – For as long as and until Joe continues to actively tour. – All costs to attend the show (travel, accommodations, etc.) other than the tickets and passes are the responsibility of the NFT owner.
1 Digital Photo Book – Includes 6 photos of Joe (in the studio and with the guitar & Amp) – These will be delivered digitally as JPEGs. – NFT owner will not own copyright of images
A Personal "Nerdville" Museum Tour and lunch with Joe Bonamassa – Choice of either Los Angeles or Nashville location – Date and Time Subject to Joe Bonamassa’s Schedule – Tour for Purchaser and 1 guest (2 people MAXIMUM) – Lunch will follow the tour at Joe’s residence – Subject to signature by Purchaser and guest of a confidentiality agreement – No filming or recording of any nature permitted – This is a ONE TIME ONLY event – All travel, accommodation and other expenses are the sole responsibility of the Purchaser
TOKENIZED ITEMS: (13 Different Minted items) -Song -Guitar -Amp -Tickets and Meet & Greet -Nerdville Museum Tour and Lunch with Joe -Full Music Video -EPK Video about Song -Guitar "Origin" Video -Amp "Origin" Video -Digital Cover artwork image -Litho Print -Hand-written Lyrics Page -Digital Photo Book
ABOUT JOE BONAMASSA: As a professional musician for over 30 years, Joe Bonamassa continues to blaze a remarkably versatile artistic trail, and amass an authentic, innovative, and soulful body of work. Bonamassa’s career began onstage opening for B.B. King in 1989 when he was only 12 years old. Today, he is hailed worldwide as one of the greatest guitar players of his generation and is an ever-evolving singer-songwriter with over 40 albums to date all under his own label, J&R Adventures.
Joe’s latest album, "Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman" is available now for streaming, CD, DVD and Blu-Ray. It will also be released on Double LP July 9th. The DVD includes a film introduction narrated by actor Jeff Daniels. To order, visit shop.jbonamassa.com. The stellar performance from one of the world’s most legendary venues includes 12 incredible live tracks, featuring the best from his latest studio release Royal Tea, Joe’s 24th#1 record on the Billboard Blues chart, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. It also includes 3 electrifying tracks from his 20th anniversary album A New Day Now.
Joe is also hitting the stage again, with a string of tour dates across the US for summer and fall, starting the end of this month in California, with two incredible nights set for the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in August before jumping back to the Ryman Auditorium to kick off the autumn dates in October. For tickets, visit https://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/.
In addition to his music and shows, Joe continues to crank out weekly programming for his radio show "Different Shades Of Blue" for Sirius XM’s Bluesville channel. Last year, he kicked off a new at-home weekly video interview series "Live From Nerdville" which currently has over 50 episodes aired on his Facebook, YouTube, and podcast outlets. With a new episode each week, Joe has featured conversations with Neal Schon of Journey, John Oates of Hall & Oates, Glenn Hughes, Paul Stanley of Kiss, Warren Haynes, Keb’ Mo’, Walter Trout, Steve Lukather of Toto, Todd Rundgren, comedian Jeff Garlin, esteemed singer-songwriter Dion, Peter Frampton, and is currently booking new guests for his 3rd season. In June 2020, Bonamassa and his manager Roy Weisman debuted their new record label Keeping The Blues Alive Records by releasing music icon Dion’s critically acclaimed latest album Blues With Friends. In February 2021, KTBA Records released Chicago’s reigning Queen of Blues Guitar, Joanna Connor’s new album 4801 South Indiana Avenue, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues chart.
ABOUT HERITAGE AUCTIONS: Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,400,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.
Revenues from online sales in the aftermarket are estimated to grow at 14% in 2021, finds Frost & Sullivan
SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 13, 2021 — Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, Global Aftermarket Outlook, 2021, finds that the global automotive aftermarket will gather momentum this year as a slowdown in new vehicle sales due to the impact of COVID-19 and aging vehicle parc will create more opportunities in the aftermarket space. With the availability of vaccines and lockdown lifts, the market is estimated to garner $478.8 billion by 2025 from $362.21 billion in 2020, an uptick at a 5.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Additionally, while the global demand will exceed the pre-COVID levels in 2022, the market will likely increase by 7.1% in 2021, with revenues from online sales in the aftermarket estimated to grow at 14%.
Global Automotive Aftermarket
China leads the world in terms of innovating with new business models for retail. Its vehicle population is currently only behind North America and is well poised to overtake it, resulting in tremendous demand potential. In Europe, EV servicing and repair is in demand, whereas, in North America, the preference for personal vehicles rather than shared mobility will promote used cars sales. In India, the vehicle Scrappage Policy announced at the beginning of 2021 could boost new vehicle sales and potentially help increase the used and remanufactured parts aftermarket.
"As customers shifted away from using public/shared transport in 2020, sales of used cars witnessed a boom during the same period across regions, thereby presenting potential business prospects for service providers to engage with independent aftermarket manufacturer (IAM) service contracts," said Anuj Monga, Mobility Research Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "In addition, the increasing proliferation of alternative powertrain vehicles is creating new categories in the parts and services aftermarket and promoting newer business models for fulfillment."
Monga added: "Rising customer exposure to digital channels across lifestyle aspects will push aftermarket stakeholders to invest aggressively in digitization beyond parts retail and even workshop services. Market players should further explore building dedicated digital platforms on offline networks offering standardized quality services for a variety of vehicle types, especially in company and retail fleets."
Industry players should look into the following growth opportunities:
Online Sales of Replacement Parts and Accessories: To leverage the heightened exposure to their websites, marketplace and pure-play operators will need to deliver higher value to their customers by ensuring delivery and fulfillment.
ADAS Sensor Recalibration Services: Though most of the demand for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) sensor recalibration services is fulfilled at the original equipment (OE) dealerships, IAM stands a chance in the medium to long term.
New Product Categories: Aftermarket products and services related to health, wellness, and wellbeing present a sizeable multibillion-dollar opportunity over the next three to four years.
Global Aftermarket Outlook, 2021 is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan’s Mobility research and analyses is available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future.
About Frost & Sullivan
For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion
HONG KONG, July 8, 2021 — Meituan (HKG: 3690) (the "Company"), China’s leading e-commerce platform for services, today introduced a new, self-developed drone model and announced plans for a drone logistics network pilot program in Shanghai. The announcement was made at the 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, where Meituan demonstrated how drones and delivery riders could conceivably work together to deliver orders.
In a partnership with local government, Meituan will explore opportunities for the construction of a demonstration center in Shanghai’s southwestern district of Jinshan; this center will run pilot operations for an urban low-altitude logistics network, the first of its kind to be established in China. The three-pronged network of drones, ground support infrastructure (landing ports, battery changing stations), and cloud-based dispatching systems will aim to achieve 15-minute delivery time for destinations within a three kilometer radius.
"Low-altitude logistics networks in urban areas will present an important growth opportunity for innovation and technology over the coming 10 to 20 years," said Puzhong Wang, Meituan Senior Vice President and head of the company’s on-demand delivery business. "Our efforts reflect Meituan’s hopes to use inclusive technology and innovation to help people live better."
"This network would enable us to adapt to different delivery scenarios across residential communities, shopping malls, office buildings, etc.," said Yinian Mao, head of Meituan’s drone delivery unit. "We envision a collaborative, integrated network where our drones and delivery riders can work seamlessly together to deliver orders."
A Meituan drone grasps a delivery box at the 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai
Meituan began exploring drone delivery opportunities in 2017. In early 2021, Meituan’s efforts reached a milestone when its drones delivered meals to customers in Shenzhen for the first time. Riders would pick up orders from merchants and take them to drone launching pads for last-mile delivery. Drones would then deliver them to special drone drop-off lockers, after which users could scan QR codes to pick up the orders. In June, Meituan also used drones to deliver vital supplies to residents in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district, who were isolated by a COVID-induced quarantine.
As of June 2021, Meituan’s drones have completed over 200,000 flight tests and delivered over 2,500 orders. Meituan has now completed the preliminary development stages for its drones and dispatching systems, with over 90% of its core systems and components developed in house.
About Meituan
Meituan (HKG: 3690) (the "Company") is China’s leading e-commerce platform for services. With the mission of "We help people eat better, live better," the Company’s platform uses technology to connect consumers and merchants. Service offerings on the platform address people’s daily needs for food, and extend further to broad lifestyle and travel services. Meituan is the world’s leading on-demand food delivery service provider and China’s leading e-commerce platform for in-store dining services. Meituan helps consumers discover merchant information, make informed decisions, complete online and offline transactions and enjoy on-demand delivery. The Company currently owns several household brands in China, including Meituan, China’s leading online marketplace for services, Dianping, China’s leading online destination for discovering local services, Meituan Waimai for on-demand delivery services, and Meituan Bikes for bike-sharing services. Meituan has 569.3 million Annual Transacting Users and 7.1 million Annual Active Merchants as of March 31, 2021. The Company operates in over 2,800 cities and counties in China.
The Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Zhu Jianshi as the Chief Executive Officer of FUTURITY BRANDS CHINA with effect from 8 July 2021.
HONG KONG, July 8, 2021 — Futurity Brands Limited announced today the appointment of Mr. Zhu Jianshi, as Chief Executive Officer of Futurity Brands China. Stan Wan, Futurity Brands Chairman and Group CEO, said: "After a rigorous search, the Board concluded that Mr. Zhu’s expertise and considerable experience in the licensing, fashion and retail sector, along with his exemplary track record of achievements as a CEO and COO made him the outstanding candidate for the role. Mr. Zhu is an accomplished leader and has consistently demonstrated throughout his career the ability to innovate and introduce high performance strategies in challenging environments yielding impressive growth and significant value creation. I look forward to his partnership in China to create a new chapter of success for the Futurity Brands Group."
About Futurity Brands
Futurity Brands is a purpose driven, end to end lifestyle brand management company focused on serving brands that can create a better tomorrow. Through its acquisition, licensing, distribution, design and strategic supply chain capabilities, Futurity Brands aims to deliver long term value by investing in brands and innovation that will provide consumer-centric solutions to global challenges. www.futuritybrands.com
Helping SMEs digitalise operations on e-commerce marketplaces
Average of 300% online sales growth within the first year amongst past clients
HONG KONG, July 6, 2021 — E-gogo Holdings Limited ("E-gogo"), a leading e-commerce enabler, has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council ("HKTDC") to help Hong Kong companies enter the Indonesian market via e-commerce channels.
The MOU, which includes a six-month trial programme that started in July 2021, entails both parties helping participating Hong Kong companies launch selected products on suitable online marketplaces in Indonesia. E-gogo will provide its End-to-End 360° E-commerce Services, which includes but is not limited to marketing, e-shop management, customer care and fulfillment.
Based on the e-Conomy Southeast Asia 2020 Report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company, the Internet economy remains resilient at US$100 billion gross merchandise value despite the global slowdown. As more consumers and small & medium enterprises come online, that figure stands at over US$300 billion, which presents a corresponding rise in demand for e-commerce enabler services from companies going offline to online.
"We are honoured to be given the opportunity by HKTDC to work with Hong Kong’s enterprising community and help them with their expansion plans into Indonesia. Our team has a wealth of experience navigating through a diverse market that is Indonesia, and we are confident of providing customised solutions for the best go-to-marketplace strategy for participating companies, said Kevin So, Co-Founder and CEO of E-gogo.
E-gogo is an associate company of AV Concept Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong Stock Exchange Mainboard-listed company. Leveraging on its related company’s networks, E-gogo has helped over thirty companies expand their online marketplace presence in Indonesia and across the Asia region in less than three years, all of whom have achieved an average of 300% online sales growth within their first year with E-gogo. With the rising demand for enabler services in Southeast Asia, E-gogo will be strengthening its presence across the region.
About E-gogo Holdings Limited ("E-gogo")
Established in 2018 and headquartered in Hong Kong, E-gogo is a leading end-to-end growth hacking, digital commerce enabler for diversified companies in Asia. With a forward-thinking, innovative mindset, E-gogo aims to enhance brand engagement and consumer touchpoints with creative solutions coupled with technology and analytics.
Suning.com Retail Cloud will complete its layout of 10,000 stores nationwide
NANJING, China, July 5, 2021 — Suning.com (002024.SZ), China’s leading smart retail service provider and a Fortune Global 500 company owned by Suning Group, today announced its Retail Cloud (Ling Shou Yun) subsidiary will open 900 stores in the next three months, and the home furnishing store as a new store model will be the business focus in Q3.
Data from Retail Cloud Stores shows that during China’s mid-year shopping festival "618", the growth of refrigerator and washing machine products from domestic brands including Meling and Little Swan increased by more than 100% year on year, the overall growth of high-end home appliance brand Panasonic increased by 130% year on year, the year-on-year growth of domestic kichen appliances maker VATTI reached 260%.
Officially launched in July 2017, Retail Cloud is Suning’s important business sector that aims to help micro and small business merchants thrive in lower-tier cities and county-level markets in China. The 10,000th Retail Cloud store will be launched in Q3, according to the plan.
