The Otto Group has raised €325 million through so-called “Schuldschein” loan – more than triple the originally targeted volume of €100 million. It is already the group’s third successful issuance since 2022. That’s a clear signal of how much confidence investors place in Germany’s largest marketplace group despite a challenging trade environment. Find out more on Retail-News

More News

Zalando lifts Q2 profit significantly
Zalando‘s gross merchandise volume rose 20.7% to €4.9 billion in the second quarter, while active customers grew 18.3% to 62.5 million. The partner business is accelerating faster than expected, gaining 3.2 percentage points to reach 36.9% of stand-alone B2C GMV. It is a clear shift toward a higher-margin, capital-light model. For 2026, Zalando now expects growth in the lower half of its previous 12–17% range. See more on EQS News

TikTok Shop on track for $125 billion in GMV
TikTok Shop hit roughly $50.3 billion in GMV in the first half of 2026, up 92% year-on-year – and could grow to as much as $125 billion this year. The US is now the platform’s largest single market ahead of Indonesia after doubling its GMV to $11.8 billion. In the UK alone TikTok Shop now counts more than 300,000 small businesses on the platform. Read more on Exciting Commerce (GMV) and Ecommerce News (UK)

Amazon invests over €300 million in Germany
Amazon is putting more than €300 million into overhauling its logistics centre in Pforzheim. The aim is to convert the warehouse from handling medium-sized items to small and medium-sized ones, with capacity for around 20 million products. The site’s workforce is set to double from over 1,000 to more than 2,000 employees by the end of 2029. Get more details on Ecommerce News

eBay Live grows strongly, Whatnot raises $545 million
eBay Live’s GMV grew companywide by roughly eightfold year-on-year in the second quarter. The platform is now opening its previously invite-only model to US sellers across more than 300 categories. Rival Whatnot is also thriving: the live-shopping company raised $545 million in a funding round, pushing its valuation to $20 billion – nearly double what it was a year ago. See more on ChannelX (eBay) and Exciting Commerce (Whatnot)

Argos launches curated marketplace
Argos, one of the UK’s largest omnichannel retailers, has gone live with its new marketplace. It is built on the Mirakl platform and currently featuring around 80 “Trusted Sellers”. Applications are open to international sellers too, with Argos stating it is prioritising curation over an open, unregulated marketplace. See more on ChannelX

Zooplus launches its own marketplace in Germany
Zooplus is turning its German online shop into a marketplace, adding roughly 10,000 extra products from third-party sellers to its assortment, 65 % of them pet accessories. Following France, where a similar model is already running, Germany is the next step in a platform strategy set to expand into further European markets. Get more details on etailment

Feel-Good News

One year of Bauhaus Marketplace: 100,000 new items
One year after the first order on the Bauhaus Marketplace, CDO Johannes Wechsler took stock: with the support of over 100 sellers, nearly 100,000 new items have been added to the assortment. He’s especially pleased that product reviews, delivery times and return rates are now on par with the company’s own assortment. Find out more on LinkedIn

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Der Beitrag Marketplace Universe News 10.08.2026 – Otto raises €325m, and Zalando’s partner business hits 36.9% of GMV erschien zuerst auf Marketplace Universe.

Marketplace Country Quadrant UK 2026: The Return of the British Giants

The British market has evolved rapidly over the last years. From Europe’s powerhouse to post-Brexit decline to battle field for aggressive Chinese players to local heroes-playing field, outlook changed hard and fast in just a few years. ECDB’s data for 2026 now projects the UK e-commerce revenue to reach €167.09 billion in 2026. Following a period of relative cooling, growth is regaining serious momentum, projecting an impressive 6.4% year-over-year increase.

The level of market penetration is truly remarkable: nearly one in every three pounds (29.7%) in the UK is now spent online. In a country of 69.6 million people where internet penetration stands at a saturated 99.3%, “offline” retail is rapidly becoming an outlier. However, the most compelling trend is the “platform boom” led by domestic giants. Retailers like Tesco, Next, and John Lewis have aggressively adapted to the marketplace model and are now dominating the landscape. Our freshly updated Marketplace Country Quadrant UK 2026 reflects this shift.

What’s changed? The great domestic shift

Compared to the previous year, the face of the Marketplace Country Quadrant UK has shifted radically:

• Next & TikTok Shop: Both have officially ascended to the generalist tier. Next has completed its transformation into a broad-based platform, massively pushing its marketplaces as the main driver for growth. And TikTok Shop has expanded well beyond its initial niches to become a major force in categories like Food.
• AliExpress & Very: These players have been repositioned. AliExpress seems to be losing the battle against the determined local heroes and has lost its place among the generalists. It is still relevant in some categories but much less the attacker it was one year ago. Very’s marketplace is doing well, but in many marketplaces it has been overtaken by the stronger growth of competitors like Next, which is why we moved them to the category leader’s board for now. 
• The Brexit Filter: International Platforms (apart from Amazon and ebay) are struggling in the UK. ManoMano has disappeared completely from the quadrant, Zalando is nowhere to be seen, and Decathlon is fighting for their place on the category leader board. The bureaucratic friction of post-Brexit trade acts as a natural filter, weeding out cross-border actors lacking local infrastructure.

The 2026 Quadrant in Detail

Looking closely at the current Marketplace Country Quadrant UK, the balance of power is clearly defined:

Generalists

• Amazon & eBay: Defending their foundational roles as the ultimate market leader and re-commerce hub, respectively.
• Next & Tesco: The new gold standards for successful British platform strategies.
• TikTok Shop: The social commerce powerhouse now serving all major categories.
• Temu: Present, but far less dominant here than on the European mainland.

Specialists by Category

• Fashion & Shoes: Shein dominates the budget segment, while John Lewis and Very capture the curated lifestyle niche.
• Electronics: Back Market continues to capitalize on refurbished tech, flanked by Argos and OnBuy.
• Home & Living: A three-way battle between premium John Lewis, specialist Wayfair, and value-driven AliExpress.
• DIY & Garden: B&Q defends its top spot against a revitalized Argos and AliExpress.
• Sports: JD remains the benchmark, with Decathlon and John Lewis providing market breadth.
• Beauty & Care: TikTok Shop dominates this category, but as they ascended to the generalist tier, we also look at Superdrug, ASOS and Very to fill the niche.

Market Analysis: Marketplace Universe Opinion

The Marketplace Country Quadrant UK makes one thing abundantly clear: The British “Local Heroes” didn’t just crash the marketplace party; they took it over. With a staggering 94.4% of e-commerce revenue generated via domestic purchases, the UK is no longer a landscape for quick cross-border wins. If you want to succeed here, you have to commit to local platforms. The moat is deep, but thanks to the high digital affinity of British consumers, the potential for those who cross it is greater than ever.

Want to add your voice?

Did we miss an emerging player in our analysis? Help us make the quadrant even more precise for 2027!

Do you have anything to add to our country quadrant for the UK? Let us know!

Interested in a different country or a specific product category? Check out all our quadrants here!

Der Beitrag Top Marketplaces in the UK – Marketplace Country Quadrant UK 2026 erschien zuerst auf Marketplace Universe.