Amazon to shut online store in China

Tobi Ijalana

Amazon plans to shut its online store in China that allows shoppers to buy from local sellers as it downsizes operations in the country.
The firm said it would no longer run the domestic marketplace from July, but Chinese shoppers will still be able to order goods from Amazon’s global store and it will also continue to operate its cloud business in China.

The reason or shutting the online store comes as a result of facing tough competition from local rivals Alibaba and JD.com.
According to ‘Reuters’, Amazon’s plans to close its domestic marketplace in China by mid-July is mainly for it to focus on more lucrative businesses, selling overseas goods and cloud services.
In a statement released by a spokesperson for the company, it said “working closely with our sellers to ensure a smooth transition and to continue to deliver the best customer experience possible.”
Consumers accessing Amazon Chinese web portal, Amazon.cn, after 18 July will see a selection of goods from its global store, Bloomberg reported.
Amazon bought Joyo.com, a Chinese books, music and video retailer, for $75m (£57.4m) in 2004. It rebranded the company as Amazon.cn in 2007.