Amazon is this year due to open in Singapore, putting it head-to-head with Alibaba-owned Lazada in South East Asia. The launch is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2017, and Amazon is currently hiring staff and acquiring trucks and other logistical equipment, but has been forecast to struggle in the ASEAN region due to the poor existing infrastructure. In order to prepare for the arrival of the US retailer, rival company Lazada has begun expanding its delivery network across the region, and has been looking to move further into online grocery shopping. It has also been revealed that Alibaba has “acquired companies to shorten the learning curve and enable Lazada to grow faster”. Lazada's CEO, Maximilian Bittner, commented on the upcoming competition from Amazon, saying that he is “looking forward to seeing how they will differentiate themselves” in a market which he referred to as a “jungle”.
