Popular Chinese supermarket set to launch in UK and rival Tesco, Aldi, Lidl

Chinese retailer Jingdong or JD.com is running a new trial in London under the name Joybuy – and is set to rival Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and more.

A brand-new supermarket that is ‘like Tesco but with Amazon delivery’ is launching in the UK. Chinese retailer Jingdong or JD.com is running a new trial in London under the name Joybuy – and is set to rival Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and more.

Speaking in a TikTok video about Joybuy, food policy specialist Gavin Wren said in a statement over the move: “They’ve got the largest delivery fulfilment infrastructure, i.e. delivery network, of any e-commerce company in China.

“These are big numbers and they get 90% of their orders to customers either same-day or next-day. It’s like Tesco but with Amazon Prime delivery.”

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David Sables, chief executive of retail adviser Sentinel Management Consultants, told the Daily Telegraph: “Do (JD.com) have the capability to make a big mark? Absolutely they do. Is there room in the UK for another serious player in the discounting area? Absolutely.”

Mr Sables said JD.com could exploit a “gap in the market” against the German discount stores which have not invested in online trade so they can focus on keeping prices as low as possible.

Matthew Nobbs, a former executive at Lidl and Holland & Barrett, is now JD.com’s chief merchandise officer for the UK. Writing on corporate social media site LinkedIn, he said he was “getting ready to rumble in the UK for one of China’s biggest success stories.”

One industry insider said: “The ambition for Joybuy is to be a local retailer, locally sourcing as many quality and authentic products as possible.”

Clive Black, an analyst at Shore Capital, said: “People like [Ocado boss] Tim Steiner have talked absolute nonsense over the years about how everyone’s going to shop online. And it’s just not true, it hasn’t happened.”

A spokesman for JD.com said: “Joybuy is currently in a testing phase. The plan is for an official launch by the end of 2025.

“JD.com’s operations in Europe are built on the same principles that define our success in China: delivering high-quality products at great prices, backed by fast and reliable delivery.”