Launch

Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba Group wants to expand its marketplace Lazada into Europe. Lazada will focus on local merchants instead of cross-border sales like AliExpress. Only recently, Alibaba’s logistics company Cainiao set foot in Belgium.

Dutch fulfillment company Active Ants has announced that it is opening its fifth distribution center in September. After two sites in the Netherlands and an expansion to Belgium and Germany, the company will now take on England. "Coming to Northampton will allow us to increase our presence. Ultimately, we want to become the best fulfillment company in Europe", says co-founder Jeroen Dekker.

Veepee's second-hand platform, Re-Cycle, collects used products of members of the platform to resell or recycle them. It was founded in France two years ago, but is now making its entry into Spain. This is the first international expansion of the platform.

Recently, French furniture retailer Maisons du Monde expanded on its website with a marketplace. The marketplace launched in France in 2020. Now, it's rolling out the marketplace in Spain with 150 partner brands.

Same-day delivery courier Gophr is integrating with Metapack, a delivery management software company. The partnership offers ecommerce retailers more same-day delivery options across the United Kingdom.

Leading ecommerce software company BigCommerce is integrating with dropshipping marketplace Avasam to launch its new dropshipping service: ‘Click2Launch’. It will make BigCommerce an even bigger competitor for Shopify.

Sell.xyz, a Latvian dropshipping startup for customized products, has raised 1,5 million euros in seed capital. The platform has launched selling apparel, cosmetics and supplements. The company follows in the footsteps of other Latvian print-on-demand services.

Online fashion marketplace Secret Sales is entering Belgium and the Netherlands with dedicated online shops. The websites will be managed by a local team in the Netherlands. It's the first step in the company's planned European expansion.

Logistics provider Direct Link has announced its launch in Turkey. The company is owned by PostNord, the Swedish and Danish national post company. It is already globally active, but will now also set up operations with local personnel.

Shipping platform Shippo has entered Ireland with the opening of its new research and development center in Dublin. This is the company's first office in Europe, while it already offers its services in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. It wants to expand further internationally.

Croatian price comparison platform Jeftinije.hr has launched a new service: Jeftinije Marketplace. In addition to comparing prices from different sellers, the marketplace allows consumers to buy these products directly from the platform.

H&M has started trials of its new marketplace model in Germany and Sweden. Online shoppers can now find items from third-party brands in the section of the website called 'H&M with Friends'. If successful, the model will be extended to other markets.

Dutch-British meal delivery company Just Eat Takeaway is now available on Order with Google within the UK. Consumers can now place an order directly through Google Search and Maps. Just Eat Takeaway says that restaurants will reach new customers and grow their revenue.

Polish marketplace technology and service provider Nethansa has launched its new SaaS platform, with which it is ready to expand within Europe. The company is already active in the Czech Republic, Germany and Great Britain as well. The platform wants to integrate with several marketplaces in the coming years, including Allegro.

Ecommerce fashion giant Zalando is now selling products from Apple and Beats. The brands will be sold in five European countries. It is part of Zalando’s strategy to become a lifestyle platform.