PDD Subsidiary Temu Expands Its Operations To Europe

Temu, a PDD Holdings-owned ultra-low-cost e-commerce platform, has begun selling in European markets such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

The Temu.com website now includes all of these markets in its location drop down menu, in addition to the previously available markets of the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

PDD Holdings did not react right away to a request for comment on the expansion.

Temu, the sister site of Chinese discount e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, has made a significant sensation since its September launch in the United States, selling shoes, jewellery, beauty accessories, and home items straight from Chinese merchants for very low costs.

It's a similar cross-border model to the one that has propelled Shein, which ships to more than 150 countries, to become the world's biggest fast-fashion brand with annual sales of more than $58.5 billion.

Temu, which is headquarted in Boston, saw 19 million U.S. downloads in the first quarter of this year, according to mobile intelligence firm Sensor Tower, which also ranks Temu as the most downloaded app on Apple and Google Play stores in the United States.

The platform's gross merchandise value - total sales before expenses - grew from $3 million in September to $192 million in January, according to data firm YipitData.