Around The World In Commerce No. 322

Dear Readers,

The three things on my mind this week:

Is it that time of the year again when Amazon stops its advertising on Google? A week after Prime Day, Amazon has stopped advertising. Is this a negotiation tactic, or is it a secondary effect of Google becoming an answering engine that showcases AI summaries?
Can we agree that brand aggregators are a spreadsheet idea that has gone nowhere? OpenStore cut 95% of its valuation, while in India, The Good Glam Group collapsed.
I am proud to announce that, moving forward, subscribers will receive a monthly trends summary email, called the Dispatch. This will summarize the trends I see while curating this email newsletter. Expect it on Wednesday.

I want to thank all the readers who take the time to reply to this email (I spend a considerable amount of time creating this newsletter) and appreciate any comments, even if you disagree with me. I want you to know that all comments are confidential and are not shared.

If you'd like to help me, please share this newsletter so I can grow my list.

Onwards, Hendrik

Around The World in Marketplaces

This week we have an event I hope to attend soon - E-commerce Brazil Forum 25, which will be on 29 and 30 June in São Paulo, Brazil.

Africa

Weeks after Copia’s collapse, co-founder, top executives quietly registered new startup.

China

E-commerce sales in China fly high in the first half of 2025, propelled by the government’s trade-in programs. Raw foods on mainland Chinese sites still delivered to Hong Kong despite warnings. Chinese e-commerce leaders brush off regulatory risk to continue 'instant retail' price war.

JD.com refutes reports on acquisition of HK grocery chain Kai Bo. JD.com opens its first restaurant with only food delivery and/ or pick-ups. JD.com and Meituan take their rivalry from takeout to humanoid robots. JD.com announces “10 billion growth plan” to Introduce 1,000 overseas brands to China over the Next Three Years. The Demise of China’s Hottest Online Shopping Craze - Group buying..

Europe

Amazon brings AI shopping advisor Rufus to the desktop [in German]. Amazon faces UK lawsuits worth up to $5.4 billion from retailers and consumers. EU justice chief ‘determined’ to crack down on sale of illegal goods on Temu, Shein. Clone wars in Russia: Chinese counterfeit auto parts flood marketplaces?

BoohooMan launches online marketplace with over 500 brands. Rules of origin under FTA to boost India's e-commerce exports to UK.

Adevinta sells its Spanish business to Sweden's EQT for $2.3 billion. JD.com in advanced talks to buy Germany’s Ceconomy in $2.6 Billion Deal. Naver’s $700M offer for Wallapop is supported by “most key shareholders.” Russian e-commerce firm Ozon says entrepreneur Chachava takes 28% stake.

India

Reliance chooses to run solo in the quick-commerce marathon. Blinkit parent Eternal jumps 15% on quick-commerce strength. Flipkart’s ad credit playbook eyes seller growth, IPO goals. Zepto’s 'Dark Patterns' Go Viral. Indian government wants ‘country of origin’ filter on shopping apps.

Latin America

Mercado Libre to Train Small Food and Beverage Businesses in Mexico. IDB Invest has signed a financing agreement with Magazine Luiza S.A. (Magalu) for $50M. Under pressure from Shopee, Mercado Livre releases R$40 million in coupons for Father's Day [in Portuguese]. iFood in advanced talks to acquire Alelo for $905M ($5 billion) [in Portuguese].

Middle East

Talabat mart inaugurates the Middle East’s largest q-commerce distribution center. Apple Retail arrives in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with launch of the Apple Store online. Chinese retail apps drive nearly three-quarters Of UAE eCommerce ad spend Amid Rising Competition. Saudi retail giant Othaim joins AliExpress, expanding "Hourly Delivery" service.

South East Asia and Australia

AliExpress Korea transitions to a domestic corporation, abandoning foreign investment. Desertcart expands sourcing from Korea and Japan. Will Meituan’s Keeta come to Singapore or Southeast Asia? Officials warn of rise in fake 'Made in Korea' labels. Can Grab and GoTo forge a Southeast Asian tech champion?

Shopee Indonesia begins charging sellers an order fee Temu doubles Australian advertising spend in response to US tariffs. Prime Day 2025 drives 128% surge in new Amazon shoppers in Australia.

Alibaba’s Taobao sees a 60% surge in users in Thailand after launching a local-language version. Desertcart expands sourcing from Korea and Japan.

Daraz Pakistan introduces Cod Plus as step towards cashless e-commerce ecosystem. TikTok Shop Malaysis logs 100 million daily searches.

Kickstarter Named Official Crowdfunding Partner for Alibaba.com's $1 Million CoCreate Pitch. eBay further erodes ad fee transparency, removes "Sold Via Promoted Listings" from order overview page. Amazon pulls out of Google Shopping ads. Optoro Is Shutting Down Excess Returned Goods Marketplace BULQ. Inside eBay Live’s Big Bet on Collectors.

Building Trust, Powering Progress: Walmart's Vision for a Safer Marketplace.

Temu Joins International Trademark Association to Strengthen Global IP Protection. Courtyard secures $30M Series A for collectibles marketplace. 100,000 Million-Dollar Amazon Sellers. Wag! Group Co. Announces Recapitalization Transaction with Retriever LLC.

Luxury Commerce

LVMH in talks to offload fashion label Marc Jacobs, sources say. - Reuters

The Bernard Arnault-led company has been holding talks with potential buyers including Reebok-owner Authentic Brands Group and WHP Global, the sources said, who asked not to be named because the discussions are confidential. Realignment of holdings, amid down financials - this brand will be sold.

LVMH: Solid results in the first half of 2025 despite the prevailing environment.

Luisaviaroma closes Milan headquarters. LVMH’s sales down amid lower demand for luxury fashion and wine. Farfetch UK subsidiary accounts show challenging times ahead of Coupang takeover. Luxury’s split between winners and losers is only getting wider. Frasers denies asset-stripping after Matchesfashion collapse. The Smart Stylist: How A Luxury Retailer Mastered Automated Product Style Attribution Using Generative AI. Creed, in partnership with LUXASIA, eyes India as a key growth market. Dubai’s Damas Jewellery gets big new owner after Dh1 billion buyout by India's Titan.

Barrel Holdings acquires AO2 Management, strengthening Amazon expertise and retail media capabilities.

Logistics is sponsored by Third Person - a new way for brands to discover 3PLs

UniUni launches cross-border delivery offering from U.S. to Canada. Cainiao Hong Kong Supply Chain Center is open to global merchants and brands [in Mandarin]

Buyout of Dubai's Aramex by Abu Dhabi fund is complete.

Doss, AI-Native ERP, Acquires Shopify Inventory Leader Genie to Supercharge E-Commerce and Partner Growth. Chinese e-commerce giant targets UK expansion after striking deal for major facility in Coventry.

Amazon venture fund backs startup developing fix for return fraud. German warehouse software startup pyck picks up €2.6M in Seed funding. Glīd raises $3.1M pre-seed round to launch the future of autonomous road-to-rail freight infrastructure. Magentic Raises $5.5M to meet demand for AI-driven savings in tariff-hit supply chains. Nevoya raises $9.3M seed to define the next era of American trucking. Lyzer secures over €10M funding to accelerate international growth. Octup Raises $12M Seed Round to Build the Operating System for 3PLs. Amazon cancels €300M Dublin logistics hub over power grid issues

Consumer

Walmart to Sell Vizio TVs as a Private Label. Keurig Dr Pepper quarterly revenue beats expectations fueled by US demand.

Store of the Future: Best stores in H1 2025. TalkShopLive announces the launch of alcohol sales on its platform.

China Customs seizes over 40,000 suspected counterfeit Pop Mart ‘Labubu’-branded products. Target ends price matching. Who will pay the cost of steel and aluminum tariffs? CPGs and retailers are still working it out. Study: International platforms risk emptying Romanian retail storefronts.

How BiteSight used TikTok to soar in the App Store. DeLandis Sleep launches e-commerce drop-ship program.

Generous Brands to Acquire Health-Ade Kombucha for $500M. Mad Paws to Divest E-commerce Arm Ahead of Acquisition. EatClub, which owns and operates several popular cloud kitchen brands is raising nearly $22M. SHOPLINE & XRC Ventures Announce Brand Builder Grant Winners. How I Launched a Luggage Brand That Took Off During the Pandemic.

Payments

E-commerce drives growth in Taiwan’s credit card payments market. Rezolve Ai and $150B+¹ Tether Aligned as U.S. Stablecoin Law Ushers in New Era of Regulated Digital Commerce. Introducing PayPal World: A Global Platform Connecting the World’s Largest Payment Systems and Digital Wallets, Starting with Interoperability to PayPal and Venmo. Mondu Launches ‘Pay Now’ A2A Payment Option for B2B E-Commerce.

Prosus delays Indian payments firm PayU IPO to enhance business operations.

Vendy wants to become the go-to payment platform for social commerce in Africa.

Egypt’s Flend secures $3M seed to expand digital SME financing. Checkout.com partners with Pinterest to streamline payments. South Korean finance app Toss plans 2026 US listing with over $10 billion valuation, sources say.

Stats and Other Interesting News

Europe’s secondhand market to grow by £1.7 billion in 2025. Shein Among the Top 10 in Austria for the First Time. Temu enters French top 15 fashion retailers. Turkish overseas online shopping breaks record despite tax hikes. Dollar slump, deep discounts fuel new boom in Israelis’ overseas online shopping

The content here is for informational purposes only and should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice. It does NOT constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase any investment or a recommendation to buy or sell a security. The content is not directed to any investor or potential investor and may not be used to evaluate or make any investment.

This was edition number 322, sent on 27 July 2025.

Hendrik Laubscher

Around The World In Commerce No. 322

Around The World in Marketplaces

Luxury Commerce

Fashion and Beauty e-commerce

AI and Commerce

Advertising

Logistics is sponsored by Third Person - a new way for brands to discover 3PLs

Consumer

Payments

Stats and Other Interesting News

Around The World In Commerce No. 321

Around The World In Commerce No. 320

Around The World In Commerce No. 319