阿里巴巴豪掷29亿美元，迎战沃尔玛中国

阿里巴巴宣布其将以28.8亿美元的价格收购中国规模最大的商超卖场运营商高鑫零售（Sun Art）的主要股份，这将是这家电子商务巨头向线下零售市场扩张的重要举措。

这家线上巨头即将收购中国规模最大的沃尔玛式商超卖场运营商高鑫零售集团36%的股份，以寻求进军实体零售获得新发展。据彭博报道，高鑫零售集团运作着欧尚和大润发两大品牌，在全国各地约有400家综合性大卖场 （与其相似，沃尔玛在中国也运营约450家零售商场）。根据协议，法国欧尚零售（Auchan Retail）拟增持高鑫零售的股份，和阿里巴巴所持股份相当，助力零售大联盟形成，牢握十亿美元级的中国食品零售业发展的大好机会。

未来，阿里巴巴计划通过集成技术实现传统零售的转型，有效管理库存，提升利润空间。阿里巴巴在一份联合声明中强调需要与零售伙伴达成精诚合作，为中国13亿消费者带来线上与线下无缝连接的购物体验，同时扩大现有网络的布局，让零售走进更多中国的偏远地区。

阿里巴巴首席执行官张勇在声明中表示，“实体商店在消费者购物体验中是不可或缺的一环。我们应该发展数字经济的数据型技术，推出个性化服务，助力实体商店的发展。”

在投资高鑫零售之前，阿里巴巴还先后入股苏宁云商（Suning Commerce）和银泰商业集团（Intime Retail Group）。随着城市电商市场在中国逐渐处于饱和状态，这家市值4740亿美元的公司调整了战略方向，不断采取新举措开拓线下、农村和海外市场，甚至一反往日态度，采购了部分基础设施。

现今新零售的发展尚处于早期阶段。不过一旦成功，阿里巴巴就能在这场零售大战超越亚马逊 （Amazon），获得领先地位，实现线上与线下的连接。当下胜负未定，但早在亚马逊缔造者杰夫·贝佐斯宣布收购全食超市（Whole Foods）之前，阿里巴巴创始人马云就将数十亿资金注入各家食品商、百货商店和卖场。相较之下，似乎更胜一筹。（财富中文网）

译者：陈亚芬/汪皓

Alibaba (BABA, +1.60%) will invest $2.88 billion for a major stake in the top Chinese hypermarket operator Sun Art as the e-commerce platform moves into the offline retail market.

The online giant looks to be betting on an evolution of brick-and-mortar retail, acquiring 36% of Sun Art Retail Group (SURRY, +3.21%)–China’s largest operator of Walmart-style hypermarkets. Bloombergreports the retail group operates approximately 400 hypermarkets under the Auchan and RT-Mart banners (similarly, Walmart operates about 450 retail stores in China). As part of the deal, France’s Auchan Retail will increase its stake in Sun Art to match Alibaba’s, forming an alliance to target opportunities in the billion dollar Chinese food retail sector.

The Alibaba of the future looks to transform classic retail by integrating technology so as to better manage inventory and improve margins. In a joint statement, the company spoke of the need to work closely with retail partners to provide a seamless online and offline experience to China’s 1.3 billion consumers, as well as look to expanding existing networks and tapping into the relatively untouched Chinese hinterland.

“Physical stores serve an indispensable role during the consumer journey, and should be enhanced through data-driven technology and personalized services in the digital economy,”said Alibaba Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang in the statement.

Alibaba’s most recent investment in Sun Art is the latest acquisition in a series that’s also seen Suning Commerce and Intime Retail Group join the group. The $474 billion firm is making more moves to secure offline, rural and overseas buyers as China’s urban e-commerce market begins to saturate, including buying infrastructure (which the company has previously avoided).

While the retail experiment is only in its early stages, if successful, it could propel Alibaba into the lead over Amazon (AMZN, -0.28%) in the battle to connect the online and offline realms. While the winner is uncertain, Jack Ma’s head-start looked like investing billions into grocers, department stores and malls, long before Jeff Bezos’s Amazon announced the takeover of Whole Foods.