Clock in Beijing McDonald's: McDonald's China launched a series of Spring Festival themed activities

Chinese Restaurant Brands Going Global: What Keeps Customers Coming Back After the Opening?

How long can the queues outside a brand’s first overseas store last? And how many customers drawn in by the novelty will become regulars? For Chinese restaurant brands expanding internationally, opening a store is only the beginning of the challenge of building a local business and retaining customers.

Midea Completes Controlling Acquisition of Italian Medical Imaging Firm Esaote

Midea Group (美的集团) completed its acquisition of a controlling stake in Italian medical imaging company Esaote S.p.A. (百胜医疗) on October 9, the companies said. Esaote will join Midea Healthcare while continuing to operate as an independent business headquartered in Genoa, with research and manufacturing facilities in Italy and the Netherlands.

ANTA Sports Becomes PUMA’s Largest Shareholder in €1.51 Billion Deal

ANTA Sports Products Limited（安踏体育用品有限公司）completed its acquisition of a 29.06% stake in PUMA SE on October 7, paying €1.5055 billion in cash to Artémis SAS, the investment company of the Pinault family. The transaction makes ANTA PUMA’s largest shareholder and gives the Chinese sportswear group a significant stake in a major European brand, while leaving PUMA independently governed.

Taobao Takes Double 11 to 20 Overseas Markets, Adding Free Shipping and More Than 1.2 Million Merchants

Taobao plans to run this year’s Double 11 shopping festival across 20 overseas markets, with free-shipping offers in 13 countries and regions and more than 1.2 million Taobao and Tmall merchants participating, the company said on September 21. The campaign extends the platform’s international push beyond small parcels, with furniture and home-improvement goods among the medium and large items it aims to ship directly overseas.

TikTok Shop Plans UK–EU Cross-Border Expansion, With Wider Access Scheduled for October

TikTok Shop, the e-commerce business of ByteDance（字节跳动）, has scheduled a cross-border selling pilot for selected UK and EU merchants from September 21, 2026, with broader availability planned for October 19. The expansion is intended to connect its British and continental European operations through shared seller-management tools, reducing some of the administrative work involved in entering additional markets.