Tesco delays the launch of its own Amazon

Tesco is understood to have delayed the launch of its rival site to Amazon – known as Marketplace – amid speculation that it is searching for more partners.

Tesco quietly began trading on the site in April to test it and help attract more suppliers. However, it has not yet promoted Marketplace and is now not expected to do so until later in the year.

It has ten partners including Crocus, a home and garden retailer, Maplin, which sells electricals, and childrenswear chain Mamas and Papas.

A source said the delay could also be linked to Tesco’s recent search for a new advertising agency. It concluded the search on Friday when it announced it had appointed US agency W+K.

The supermarket has been criticised in the City for losing touch with its customers, as Asda and Sainsbury gain market share.

Tesco said it has been focusing on ‘widening the product offering on Marketplace for customers and ensuring that everything is working smoothly’ but denied there were any issues.

‘We continue to bring on board exciting new partners each month. These sellers are adding thousands of products,’ the retailer said in a statement.

It said the number of products on its non-grocery site Tesco Direct, where the Marketplace project is being set up, has increased by 40 per cent.

Source: Neil Craven, This is Money.co.uk.
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