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In focus
For this edition, we cover:
- A gadget distributor’s bid to crack Indonesia’s EV market
- Lazada co-founder’s return to ecommerce – with an AI twist
- Grab denies merger talks with GoTo
Hello reader,
If you’ve owned a cellphone in Indonesia at any point since the Nokia days, chances are you’ve come across the name Erajaya.
The company capitalized on the BlackBerry boom in the late 2000s and cemented its hold on the premium segment by acquiring Apple products distributor iBox in 2012. For years, Erajaya’s playbook has been straightforward: If there’s a hot new product category, acquire the best local distributor and bring it into the family.
It’s a strategy that has worked for everything from smartphones to drones and sports gear. And it’s easier when you’re family-owned and receive backing from one of Indonesia’s richest men.
But the game is different in the world of electric vehicles. You can’t just acquire an EV distributor and call it a day, especially as big names like BYD dominate the market and smaller names like Neta are forced to scale down.
That hasn’t stopped Erajaya from making its bet in the sector, however. It has partnered with Chinese EV maker Xpeng to bring the brand’s cars to Indonesia. While Xpeng is not exactly a household name yet in EV, it has been making good progress in that direction.
In this week’s first Top Story, I dive into how Erajaya is betting it can break into the EV race, and why it believes its retail know-how and family connections will be enough to power past the competition.
Another noteworthy shift is at SCI Ecommerce, where Lazada co-founder Magnus Ekbom is stepping in as its new CEO. The move also includes SCI’s acquisition of Ekbom’s new AI startup, SEAI Technologies.
SCI wants to dominate Asia’s cross-border ecommerce with AI and automation.
Together, these stories make one thing clear: The old playbooks no longer apply. Whether it’s EVs or AI, adaptation isn’t optional – it’s survival.
Glenn Kaonang, journalist
Top Stories
1️⃣ Xpeng’s Indonesia ally: a family-owned lifestyle retailer
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