On February 27, a media report said that Daraz, Alibaba's South Asian e-commerce platform, will lay off employees.。

According to an internal memo to employees from Daraz Group's acting CEO, James Dong, Daraz will carry out layoffs across the group, explaining that the move is to "adopt a more streamlined and flexible structure."。

Daraz's memo did not mention the number of people affected by the layoffs, and the company declined to comment on the number of employees affected in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.。In the memo, Daraz said: "We will reluctantly bid farewell to many important members of the Daraz family.。"

In February, Daraz hired about 3,000 people in several countries and territories before announcing 11% layoffs due to a combination of supply chain disruptions, soaring inflation, higher taxes and reduced local government subsidies.。

Despite our efforts to explore different solutions, our cost structure still falls short of our financial targets.。Facing the unprecedented challenges of the market, we must act quickly to ensure the long-term sustainable development and sustained growth of the company。"

In addition, Dong Zheng added that Daraz Group plans to actively improve the consumer experience through cost-effective products, expand product categories and improve the operational efficiency of sellers on its platform.。

It is worth noting that Dong Zheng has been acting CEO of Daraz Group for only one month.。On January 24 this year, Daraz's board of directors announced that Dong Zheng, CEO of Alibaba's Southeast Asian e-commerce platform Lazada Group, will also serve as Daraz's acting CEO to replace the outgoing founder and CEO Bjarke Mikkelsen.。

Daraz was founded in Pakistan in 2012 as an online fashion retailer and was later acquired by Chinese internet giant Alibaba in 2018.。With Alibaba's strong support, Daraz's active shoppers grew from 3 million in 2018 to more than 15 million in 2023, in addition to about 200,000 active sellers and more than 100,000 brands on Daraz.。As of last year, the company's average order book grew by nearly 100%.。

Currently, Daraz is the largest e-commerce platform in South Asia, covering four areas: e-commerce, logistics, payment infrastructure and financial services.。Daraz operates in five countries: Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka。Pakistan and Bangladesh are Daraz's largest markets.。