TMTPOST — Alibaba Group Holding Limited is preparing a $1.5 billion bid to acquire Chinese on-demand grocery platform Pupumall, according to media reports. The aggressive bidding effort marks part of a broader strategic campaign by the company to capture online instant-retail market share from local commerce rival Meituan. According to people familiar with the matter, Alibaba’s proposed valuation is more than double a previous offer submitted by multi-format hypermarket operator Sun Art Retail Group. In late May, reports surfaced that Alibaba, Meituan, and JD.com were all deeply involved in a competitive bidding process for the grocery network, driving its estimated valuation into a range between $2 billion and $5 billion. While JD.com subsequently denied involvement in the acquisition talks, both Alibaba and Meituan declined to comment on the negotiations. The transaction targets one of the few surviving independent operators utilizing the front-distribution-center (dark store) logistics model in the domestic fresh food sector, alongside Dingdong Maicai and the now-defunct MissFresh. Industry analysts note that securing the regional grocery network would significantly bolster the purchasing group's hyper-local supply chain as major internet platforms shift from traditional e-commerce toward high-speed, localized delivery networks.