TikTok Shop steps up Europe expansion with US future unclear

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LONDON (Reuters) – E-commerce platform TikTok Shop said it will launch to users in France, Germany, and Italy on Monday, expanding its reach further into Europe even as TikTok faces being shut down in the U.S. if Chinese owner ByteDance does not find an American buyer.

The shopping arm of social media app TikTok has been available in the UK since 2021. It also launched in the U.S. in September 2023, and had strong sales over the holiday season last year. But TikTok’s future in the U.S. is uncertain unless Chinese owner ByteDance can find an American buyer.

TikTok Shop has been trying to bring more Europe-based sellers on to the platform where many merchants sell products direct from China.

“In France, Germany, and Italy, we are already working with merchants to get their products listed on the platform and TikTok Shop will be available to our TikTok users from next Monday,” Jan Wilk, head of operations at TikTok Shop UK said in an interview with Reuters.

“My own expectation for Europe is to launch with more speed than we did in the UK, because in the UK four years ago this model was very new, we had to do a lot of education, we had to try out a lot of things to get the right fit.”

Supermarket chain Carrefour will join TikTok Shop in France, while fast-fashion retailer AboutYou and cosmetics brand Cosnova will start selling on the German platform, the company said.

TikTok Shop, where users can run livestreams selling everything from sneakers to eyeshadow and earn a commission on sales, is known for discounted products.

But Wilk said the platform aims to diversify its range of products and prices, and pointed to sales of second-hand Birkin bags by one luxury goods store on TikTok Shop in the UK.

(Reporting by Helen Reid. Editing by Jane Merriman)