New ‘Amazon and Tesco rival’ supermarket that’s coming to the UK

The new supermarket is known as Jingdong in China and it could be set to rival some of the biggest players in the market

The British retail scene is witnessing a marked surge in Chinese retailers, with companies such as Temu, Shein, Ali Express, and TikTok Shop gaining immense popularity online for their budget-friendly offerings and user-friendly interfaces. Now, China’s most substantial retailer by revenue, JD.com, servicing a customer base of over 600 million, is poised to leave its footprint on the UK market.

Food policy expert Gavin Wren has weighed in on the potential reverberations of this fresh entrant. In a TikTok video, he said: “A brand new supermarket that could challenge the biggest retailers in the country has just launched a trial website in London.”

JD’s debut of their London site, Joybuy.com, is raising the stakes with its next-day delivery proposition across the capital.

Gavin pointed out that customers can look forward to an “fascinating range” of products, from various food categories to an array of other merchandise.

He elaborated on the breadth of offerings, and said: “There’s lots of food – whether it’s frozen or chilled or store cupboard.” He added: “There’s also cigarettes, homeware and baby stuff too. JD is known as Jingdong in China and they have the largest fulfilment infrastructure – i.e. delivery network – of any e-commerce company in China, these are big numbers.”

Gavin delved into the company’s operations, sharing that JD boasts an impressive delivery performance with a staggering 90% of its orders reaching customers the same day or the next.

He said: “They’ve also partnered with Morrisons so they already have hundreds of Morrisons’ own-branded products.

“So it’s like Tesco – but with Amazon Prime delivery and they have some big-name retail executives working with them.”

Gavin further mentioned the anticipated nationwide rollout of the trial site joybuy.com by the end of 2025.

Joybuy’s website announces: “Joybuy is JD.com’s European full-category online retail brand designed to bring customers a faster, more convenient, and cost-effective shopping experience.

“Offering same-day and next-day delivery across the UK, Joybuy combines speed, reliability, and affordability to meet the needs of modern shoppers.”

The site, aside from Gavin’s highlighted categories, also showcases an array of clothes, jewellery, makeup, and electrical items.

Notably, AInvest highlighted JD’s significant £37 million investment in a London office space, suggesting their long-term objectives within the UK market go well beyond an initial trial period.

Commenting on the expansion strategy, AInvest said: “JD.com’s recent acquisition of a London office building for £37 million marks a pivotal move in its global supply chain expansion, aligning with ambitions to dominate Europe’s e-commerce and logistics markets.

“The purchase, while lacking specifics on location, underscores the company’s focus on building a robust infrastructure to support its Joybuy e-commerce platform and JD Logistics’ aggressive growth plans.”