81: The new new retail with Michael Norris

In June, Carrefour sold 80% of its China operations to electronics retailer Suning. The news is representative of a much broader shift in the new retails space. When we first covered new retail in 2018, unmanned stores were gaining traction and it was unclear if Alibaba was going to win. In 1.5 years, unmanned stores are almost dead and Alibaba is a clear winner. To discuss this shift, we're happy to welcome Michael Norris, research and strategy manager at AgencyChina. This episode was recorded on June 25, 2019. Key questions: Why would Suning be interested in Carrefour? How did JD lose the new retail battle? What makes Hema and the Alibaba model so successful? What makes the China market so difficult for non-China retailers? Links New Retail Keynote (Dropbox) Carrefour sells 80 per cent of its Chinese retail operations to Suning for 4.8 billion yuan Why it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee on Luckin WeChat Conference: CHina CHat 2019! Become a member of TechNode Squared Guest Michael Norris, LinkedIn Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel Editor Peter Isachenko Podcast information iTunes Spotify RSS feed Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3