Walmart partners with Shopify to expand online marketplace business

(Reuters) – Walmart Inc said on Monday it has partnered with e-commerce firm Shopify Inc , as it looks to expand its online marketplace business and cash in on the coronavirus-driven jump in online shopping.

Online sales at retailers, from cosmetics makers to pizza chains, have boomed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced customers to stay indoors.

Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart said it expects to add 1,200 Shopify sellers to its marketplace this year and the partnership was focused on adding small- and medium-sized U.S. businesses to its platform, Walmart.com. (https://bit.ly/2YvxHOg)

Last month, the company reported a 74% surge in quarterly e-commerce sales and discontinued operations at e-commerce start-up Jet.com, which it had acquired for $3.3 billion in 2016.

U.S.-listed shares of Shopify rose about 3% in pre-market trading. They have soared 87% so far this year.

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)