Drafted on 13 November 2025
In the midst of the Shein case, accused of violations and controversial products, another Chinese online trading giant is preparing to enter the European market. It is JD.com (Jingdong), the third e-commerce operator in China after Alibaba and Pinduoduo (owner of Temu).
According to a report by Le Monde (12 November 2025), JD.com has submitted a EUR 2.2 billion takeover bid to take over Ceconomy, the second largest shareholder in the Fnac-Darty group. If the deal goes through, the Chinese giant would control a network of around one thousand MediaMarkt and Saturn shops in Germany, Spain and Italy.
Behind this move, a much broader penetration strategy looms: JD.com is in fact recruiting personnel in France, where it has already quietly launched a new online sales site, Joybuy, a direct competitor of Amazon. The platform is in the test phase but already operational, with fast deliveries and promotions linked to major European sporting events.
The assault on consumer goods
As revealed by Le Monde, JD.com is not only targeting electronics.
The group is hiring category managers in France for beauty and fashion, food and household appliances, as well as a ‘last-mile manager’ and a ‘communication manager’ in charge of ‘developing supports to communicate our positions on political issues’ and ‘managing problems and crises’.
A clear signal that the Chinese giant intends to preside over the entire FMCG universe, from e-commerce to physical distribution, with a multi-channel and integrated strategy.
JD.com is building a solid European logistics network, with 60,000 m² of warehouse space in Tournan-en-Brie and 12,000 m² in the GLP Park site in Ablaincourt (Somme), to support the new business model oriented towards everyday consumption.
The categories in which it is investing – food, personal care, home and tech – represent the heart of European retail, and its entry could change the market balance, putting pressure on local brands and historic retail chains.
The new balance of European e-commerce
After the rise of Shein and Temu, the presence of Chinese players in European e-commerce is becoming increasingly pervasive.
The strength of these players lies in efficient logistics, ultra-competitive prices and an aggressive digital marketing capability. But European governments are increasingly concerned about transparency, taxation and data security.
France has already suggested a tax of EUR 2 per item imported from non-EU countries in an attempt to rebalance the playing field between Chinese platforms and European retailers.
Italy, for now, is observing in silence, but the issue also closely touches our market, where MediaWorld (part of the Ceconomy group) and related chains represent crucial garrisons of physical distribution.
JD.com’s return to the European market comes at a time of great tension between Washington and Beijing. Chinese companies, supported or indirectly controlled by the state, are moving in a coordinated manner to consolidate their presence abroad, taking advantage of European regulatory fragmentation and slow political responses.
For EU countries, the challenge is twofold: protect competition and defend economic sovereignty, without closing the doors to investment.
European e-commerce risks speaking only American, with Amazon, German, with Lidl, or Chinese with JD.com, Temu and Shein.
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