Alibaba buys controlling Lazada stake
2016-04-22
Alibaba buys controlling Lazada stake
Chinese ecommerce group Alibaba has announced $1bn deal to take a controlling stake in its SoutheastAsian counterpart Lazada, as it looks to expandbeyond China’s increasingly saturated market.
“Globalisation is a critical strategy for the growth of Alibaba Group today and well into thefuture,” Michael Evans, Alibaba president, said. “With the investment in Lazada, Alibaba gainsaccess to a platform with a large and growing consumer base outside China.”
The relatively untapped Southeast Asia market is attractive to Alibaba as the Chineseecommerce sector appears saturated with a slowdown in quarterly revenue growth. Ecommerceaccounts for about 3 per cent of retail sales in Southeast Asia compared with 8-10 per cent inChina.