Alipay expands its mobile app payment network in Europe to 2,000 points of sale

Alipay, the mobile payments operator run by Alibaba Group affiliate Ant Financial Services, has further expanded its presence at popular European destinations for Chinese tourists, with the number of stores and restaurants accepting Alipay up tenfold from three months ago.

More than 2,000 merchants and restaurants in Europe accept payments via the mobile app Alipay, compared with just 200 at the end of November, according to Rita Liu, head of Alipay Europe.

“We follow Chinese consumers’ footprint in Europe. All the key merchants are the ones we want to work with,” Liu said during an interview on Monday in London.

In the UK, Alipay is accepted at Harrods and at 10 locations of cosmetic and skincare merchandiser The Body Shop.

Chinese shoppers accounted for about 10 per cent sales at Alipay enabled locations of The Body Shop locations during the Lunar New Year and a similar national holiday in October known as Golden Week, according to Hannah Jackson, China business development project manager at The Body Shop.

“I see three in four, or even more Chinese consumers choosing Alipay in our stores,” Jackson