[Shanghai, China, 6 November 2020] JD.com, China’s largest retailer, and Diageo, the world’s largest international spirits producer, have reached an agreement to partner on promoting responsible drinking and moderate consumption of alcohol in the China market. The announcement was made on Nov. 6th at the third annual China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. Mr. Weibiao Gu, General Manager East China for JD Super (JD.com’s online supermarket), and Mr. Mark Edwards, Managing Director of Diageo China, were present for the signing ceremony at the UK Food & Drink Pavilion at CIIE. This initiative is highly aligned with both partners’ commitment to leverage their respective business strengths to bring positive and meaningful impact to society.
Specifically, under the agreement, JD and Diageo agree to jointly advance three initiatives. First, the two partners will jointly collaborate to advance global standards for responsible drinking in conjunction with leading organizations such as the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD). In addition, JD and Diageo will work together with industry partners in China to advance the development of a code of conduct for responsible sales of alcohol online in China under the principle of self-governance. Finally, the parties will promote DRINKiQ, a responsible drinking education platform, in China, as well as other initiatives and campaigns that jointly advance consumer education and support reduction in alcohol-related harm.
JD, as China’s retail and e-commerce leader in beer, wine and spirits, with over 400 million active customers across the JD.com platform, has already taken steps to promote responsible consumption of alcohol, such as providing clear guidance for safe consumption in the product descriptions on its e-commerce platform. The company will continue to strengthen its efforts in this area.
“We are pleased to further our commitment to consumer safety through this partnership with Diageo and to pioneer efforts for responsible drinking on e-commerce platforms in China,” said Mr. Weibiao Gu, General Manager East China for JD Super (JD.com’s online supermarket). When it comes to the consumption of alcohol, in addition to ensuring product quality, we want to guarantee that consumers have an enjoyable and informed experience. This partnership with Diageo is an important step in that direction.”
Diageo has been a long-term, dedicated advocate of responsible drinking globally. DRINKiQ marks one of its most signature efforts in this area. The interactive platform provides easily digestible information for the public to enable them make more informed decisions when consuming alcohol, and to prevent harmful behavior such as underage drinking, drunk driving and excessive consumption.
“Bringing positive social impact to every market that we operate in is a mission of Diageo. We are actively advocating for responsible drinking to ensure the well-being of our consumers. Through the partnership with JD, we are confident that we can inspire more Chinese consumers to engage in positive drinking behavior and hopefully we can contribute to Chinese people’s aspirations towards a “better life” by celebrating life, every day, everywhere,” said Mark Edwards, Managing Director of Diageo China.
About JD
JD.com is a leading technology driven e-commerce company transforming to become a leading supply chain-based technology and service provider. The Company’s cutting-edge retail infrastructure seeks to enable consumers to buy whatever they want, whenever and wherever they want it. The Company has opened its technology and infrastructure to partners, brands and other sectors, as part of its Retail as a Service offering to help drive productivity and innovation across a range of industries. JD.com is the largest retailer in China, a member of the NASDAQ100 and a Fortune Global 500 company.
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leading producer of international spirits. In 2002, Diageo China was established in Shanghai. We have an outstanding collection of 6 alcohol categories in China and 1 local spirits, ranging from scotch whisky, gin, vodka, liquor, rum, beer and Chinese Baijiu. Our brands are crafted, authentic, premium with many standing out in each category, such as Johnnie Walker, The Singleton, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness, which are well appreciated by customers and consumers in China. Also, Diageo is the only company with direct participation in Chinese Baijiu category, through an increased investment in Shui Jing Fang.
