Vons has sold the entire of its business to Shoprite, bringing it into the “new-generation” category of e-commerce companies that also include e-tailers and online retailers.
The move is seen as a win for Vons as it looks to expand its business into new territories, particularly in Asia and Latin America, where the company’s sales growth has been stagnant for years.
Its chief executive, Christian von, said the new owners will work closely with Vons’ retail partners to develop new business models.
Vons said Shoprite will focus on the online space and will have an advantage in the marketplace, as well as selling its products to customers online.
“We have an excellent opportunity to develop and expand in this new category, which is a huge opportunity for our customers, as they are not only buying at the point of sale, but also when they are in their home or at their place of work,” he said.
More from GlobalPost:Vons’ business model was based on the idea that customers would have to go to a brick-and-mortar store to buy their groceries.
With the sale, Vons will now focus on its online sales, where it will focus more on selling to retailers in Asia, where Vons already operates stores.
Vons had been planning to close its online stores, which it had been operating for almost a decade, but this is the first time it has done so.
For the new stores, Vonts will focus its attention on the Asia market, focusing on its grocery business in the region, as it sees its online store growing there.
Shoprite has already grown its online business by more than 1 million customers since it was founded in 2012, and it has more than 100 stores in China and more than 400 in India.
While Vons is aiming to double its online revenues to $7 billion annually by 2025, Shoprite is focusing on building a global network, which will include expanding into the US and Europe, and also focusing on expanding its retail footprint.
Von said the company is in the process of identifying the right partners to help it expand in the new verticals.
There is also a new opportunity for the brand to expand into Europe, where Shoprite has grown its business by over 50 percent in the last five years, according to von.
I think this new company has the potential to be one of the most successful brands in the history of the world, and I would like to think that we can be part of the future of ecommerce,” he added.
About the brandVons is owned by a group of investors including Alibaba Group, Anbang Insurance, Vivo and Fidelity Investments.