JD.com to sell €2bn worth of French products in two years

China’s biggest online retailer JD.com has announced its plan to sell €2 billion worth of French products to Chinese customers over the next two years, signalling more opportunities for châteaux looking to expand into the mainland market.

French president Emmanuel Macron meeting with JD.com’s founder Liu Qiangdong

The announcement came today (9 January) amid French president Emmanuel Macron’s first official visit to China, with the two countries keen to strengthen trade relations.

According to a report by the Chinese portal of Global Times, sales on JD.com’s French products-focused pavilion achieved a year-on-year growth of more than 200% in 2017. The growth in wine sales in particular was prominent. The online retailer has already become Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite)’s biggest online distributor in China.

“Looking back on years of cooperation with JD.com. We trust JD.com and its team’s professionalism.” Anna Song, Lafite’s Greater China brand director, was quoted as saying, “JD.com’s philosophy to sell authentic products strictly safeguards product quality and logistics. This enables us to offer more of our products to Chinese customers.”

Nicolas Beckers of Rémy Martin also expressed his welcome for the deal, saying it could increase the company’s online sales and strengthen its brand image.

In addition to promises of sales, JD.com also plans to purchase €100 million French-made products, wrote the Economic Times. JD.com boasts an online client base of 266.3 million people.