PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Suning Commerce Group Co. (SZ.002024), China's largest retailer, today announced the opening of its first overseas R&D center in Silicon Valley. Already among China's top three e-commerce destinations, the facility's research will advance Suning's offline-to-online (O2O) business model and bolster its back-office capabilities, which include big data, smart search, high-performance computing, and internet banking.
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"China is on pace to become the largest consumer market in the world," said Mr. Zhang Jindong, Chairman of Suning. "Not only will Suning's sustained, long-term investment in innovation and new retail technologies drive aggressive business growth, it will help transform China from the world's factory into the world's market place."
The first in a series of planned R&D centers in cities throughout the U.S., the Silicon Valley facility places Suning in the heart of technological innovation, and will help achieve the core elements of its long-term vision for retail:
"Investments that integrate Suning's e-commerce platform with its 1,600 brick-and-mortar stores will serve as a key driver of sustainable growth," said Mr. Wang Jingxi, General Manager of Suning's new Silicon Valley center. "The center will be dedicated to facilitating this integration, helping create an even more intelligent and enjoyable shopping experience for consumers."
The center is located on Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, and plans to recruit 50 researchers and staff by the middle of 2014.
