Beijing, 24th August: Ele.me, a Chinese online food-delivery company owned by the Alibaba Group, has merged with Baidu Deliveries. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction represents a significant consolidation in China’s highly competitive online-to-offline (O2O) food delivery market.

Following the deal, Baidu Deliveries will continue to operate as an independent brand and the existing management team will remain with the business. Ele.me and Baidu Deliveries will be supported with resources from both Alibaba and Baidu. Ele.me is expected to contribute both data and human resources to improve the experience of Baidu Deliveries users.