PARIS, Feb. 3, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JD.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:JD), China's largest online direct sales company today announced the launch of French Mall, a platform on JD.com dedicated exclusively to sales of authentic imported French products. JD.com launched French Mall at an event in Paris where JD.com Founder and CEO Richard Liu was joined by Senator Jean-Claude Lenoir, President of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs; former Minister Patrick Devedjian; and Jianyi Zhu, Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in France, among other key members of France's business, diplomatic and political communities. At the event, JD.com and the French government also made a joint statement pledging to uphold the highest quality standards, with a focus on product authenticity.
In addition to promoting exports, French Mall will focus on satisfying fast-growing demand among Chinese consumers for authentic French products, including wine, food, cosmetics, perfume and fashion. In 2014, JD.com sold approximately 70 million French cosmetics and skin care products, 4 million bottles of French wine, and 600,000 bottles of French perfume. The company estimates that in 2015 French wine sales on JD.com will more than double.
"Chinese shoppers want genuine, high-quality imported products and they turn to JD.com because we are the clear online leader in guaranteeing product authenticity," said Mr. Liu. "Today's launch further strengthens our position as the one-stop-shop for everything our customers want to buy. Our new French Mall gives companies the opportunity to sell directly to Chinese consumers who value quality, authentic French products. We look forward to adding more leading brands to our site in the coming months."
"The development of China's e-commerce industry has been incredible, and JD.com is a clear leader of this amazingly fast growth," said Senator Lenoir. "France is a major producer of globally recognized brands, and companies should seek this historic opportunity to partner with China's leading e-commerce platforms to help French products reach tens of millions of Chinese families."
Authenticity Pledge Extends JD.com Anti-Counterfeiting Government Cooperation Efforts
The announcements follow a meeting in Shanghai on January 31 between the Prime Minister of France, Manuel Valls; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Laurent Fabius; and JD.com CEO Richard Liu. At that meeting, Mr. Liu underlined his commitment to ensuring that JD.com continues to set the benchmark in the Chinese e-commerce space for guaranteeing product authenticity. He noted that both through the company's direct sales platform and its marketplace stores, JD.com leverages its industry-leading logistics network to control and shorten supply chains and ensure product quality, which benefits both French brands and Chinese consumers. Prime Minister Valls expressed support for these commitments and noted that selling through Chinese e-tailers represents a key opportunity for French brands.
Mr. Liu said, "Governments, companies and consumers recognize that our zero-tolerance policy regarding fakes is backed up by our consistent actions and our track record – and is a major reason why more and more of China's online shoppers are choosing JD.com. We are delighted to be working with our partners on this initiative to bring more outstanding French products to our key target of mid and high-end Chinese consumers. We plan to work similarly with other governments around the world on continuing to strengthen our already-robust anti-counterfeiting measures."
The cooperation with the French government follows a series of similar initiatives with other foreign government to promote imported goods on JD.com. Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and the United States are among the governments that JD.com has worked with in recent months to promote authentic imports.
About JD.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:JD):
JD.com, Inc. is the leading online direct sales company in China. The Company strives to offer consumers the best online shopping experience. Through its content-rich and user-friendly website and mobile applications, JD.com offers a wide selection of authentic products at competitive prices and delivers products quickly and reliably. The Company believes it has the largest fulfillment infrastructure of any e-commerce company in China. As of September 30, 2014, JD.com operated 7 fulfillment centers and a total of 118 warehouses with an aggregate gross floor area of approximately 2.3 million square meters in 39 cities, and 2,045 delivery stations and 1,045 pickup stations in 1,855 counties and districts across China, staffed by its own employees. The Company also provided same-day delivery standard in 130 counties and districts under its 211 program and next-day delivery in another 815 counties and districts across China.