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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is planning to promote its buy-online, pick-up-in-store business through the merger of the restaurant review service under its food delivery platform Ele.me with its digital mapper AutoNavi, Chinese news outlet Yicai reported citing a source familiar with the matter.
Ele.me, together with AutoNavi and online travel agency Fliggy, make up Alibaba Local Life Service.
Zhang Liang, head of the restaurant review business which was previously known as Koubei, will report to Liu Zhenfei, chief executive officer of AutoNavi, instead of Yu Yongfu, CEO of Alibaba Local Life Service, from now on, the report said.
Alibaba CEO Zhang Yong said previously that he hopes to form a synergy between Ele.me’s restaurant review service and AutoNavi’s e-mapper Amap.