Burglary of JD.com warehouse in France prompts investigation, speculation

Following the burglary of a warehouse belonging to Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com on Monday, a judicial source has confirmed an investigation has begun on charges of theft by an organised gang.\nThe incident came in the middle of the Christmas shopping season and took place in the town of Dugny, a northern suburb of Paris that serves as a midpoint between the French capital and its main freight hub, Charles de Gaulle Airport.\nSuspects neutralised the warehouse’s video surveillance system, with investigators analysing available footage taken by cameras outside the building, the source said on Tuesday under condition of anonymity.\nThe value of the stolen goods has not yet been confirmed.\nFrench media reported that the suspects stole more than 50,000 pieces of Honor and Oppo phones, tablets, laptops and earphones. Citing police sources, they estimated a loss as high as €37 million (US$43.59 million).\nThe source said as a full inventory is still under way, “the composition of the loot and the amount of the damage are not currently known.”\nJD did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.\nA company spokesman told Chinese state news agency Xinhua the warehouse has resumed normal operations. He added the actual loss from the theft was “quite different” from some reported figures, but did not elaborate further.\n\n\nThe Chinese e-commerce company has been expanding rapidly in Europe, though it is still a relative unknown on the continent compared with its more well-established rivals like Amazon and Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post.\nWarehouses like the burglarised facility near Paris serve as logistical nodes for JD as it attempts to replicate its renowned domestic delivery infrastructure overseas.\nWith the theft coming shortly after the firm launched its European e-commerce platform Joybuy in France in October, it remains to be seen if the burglary will have an impact on the platform’s first Christmas shopping season in the country.\nIn the Greater Paris region, for instance, Joybuy offers an “ultra-fast delivery” service which guarantees same-day delivery for any orders placed before 11am and next-day delivery for orders placed before 11pm.\nJD is also set to finalise a deal next year that will see it acquire German electronics retailer Ceconomy for €2.2 billion.\nThe purchase would also make JD the second-largest shareholder of French retail giant Fnac Darty through Ceconomy’s 22 per cent ownership share.\nThe French government approved the purchase in November, with two conditions: JD will – as was the case with Ceconomy – be a sleeping or silent partner in Fnac Darty operations, and will not seek to increase its shares in the French company.\n