JD.com posts upbeat results as shoppers’ habits shift

JD.com posts upbeat results as shoppers’ habits shift
Retail sales in China fell during July, but the move by consumers online helped JD.com, which saw total net revenue jump by more than 33 percent. (Reuters)
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Updated 19 August 2020
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JD.com posts upbeat results as shoppers’ habits shift

JD.com posts upbeat results as shoppers’ habits shift
  • JD.com’s US-listed shares rose by 5 percent in trading before the bell

SHANGHAI: China’s JD.com Inc. beat analysts’ estimates for quarterly sales on Monday, as the firm benefited from a shift in shopping habits of domestic consumers who have largely moved to online ever since the outset of the pandemic.

US-listed shares of the e-commerce company rose by 5 percent in trading before the bell.

The results coincide with growing tensions between Beijing and Washington. Several Chinese companies are putting off plans for US listings amid tensions between the world’s top two economies, while those listed in New York are seeking to return to exchanges closer to home. In June, JD raised about $3.87 billion in its Hong Kong secondary listing.

JD executives did not offer any comments on US-China tensions on a conference call on Monday.

China, which has under a 1,000 active COVID-19 cases currently, has largely emerged out of lockdowns, but demand is still picking up in many sectors.

Retail sales in the world’s second-largest economy slipped in July as consumers failed to shake off wariness about the coronavirus, while the factory sector’s recovery struggled to pick up pace.

The company’s net product revenue, which includes online retail sales, rose 33.5 percent to 178.19 billion yuan in the second quarter. Net income attributable to shareholders rose to 16.45 billion yuan from 618.8 million yuan a year earlier.

The company’s total net revenue rose 33.8 percent to 201.1 billion yuan ($28.98 billion) in the quarter ended June 30. Analysts on average had expected revenue of 190.95 billion yuan, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.