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JD.com’s second-quarter profit climbs 15% as food-delivery losses narrow

Net revenue dips, but still beats analysts’ estimate, as e-commerce giant contends with weak demand and fierce competition

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The results underscore the impact of JD.com’s expansion into food delivery, logistics and international operations over the past year. Photo: Xinhua
Ben Jiangin Beijing
Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com saw its second-quarter net profit soar 15 per cent year on year to 7.1 billion yuan (US$1.1 billion), beating market expectations despite a slight dip in overall revenue, as it contends with sluggish domestic consumer demand, fierce competition and a push into new business lines.

Net revenue for the three months ended June 30 fell 2.9 per cent to 346.4 billion yuan, according to a company announcement on Thursday, but still surpassed the 342.1 billion yuan consensus estimate from analysts polled by Bloomberg.

“Despite near-term revenue headwinds, [JD.com] achieved strong bottom line growth, marking a clear inflection in our profit trajectory,” said Sandy Xu Ran, CEO of JD.com.

Xu added that the second-quarter performance was driven by the core retail division’s profitability and narrowing losses in new initiatives such as food delivery – strengths the company planned to build on through the second half of the year.

The company’s core retail segment – comprising electronics, home appliances and general merchandise – posted operating income of 13.5 billion yuan, down slightly from 13.9 billion yuan a year earlier.

The results underscore the impact of JD.com’s expansion into food delivery, logistics and international operations over the past year – investments that weighed on overall profitability.

In food delivery, the company continues to compete head to head with market leaders Meituan and Alibaba Group Holding, owner of the South China Morning Post.
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