SAO PAULO, Feb 11 - MercadoLibre will start selling merchandise from Brazilian food retailer Assai on its e-commerce platform in March, the companies said at a press conference. Under the arrangement, MercadoLibre - the Uruguay-based firm - will also store and deliver the goods, with Assai becoming a client of MercadoLibre’s full commerce service.
The product assortment to be offered through the platform includes nonperishable foods plus categories such as hygiene and perfumery. Executives from both firms provided these details at the briefing announcing the tie-up.
For MercadoLibre, the arrangement represents another step toward onboarding additional retailers on its Brazil platform while advancing a broader move into the supermarkets category in the country. The company is expanding its marketplace relationships in Brazil, its largest market by scale, by adding established retailers as sellers and logistics clients.
From Assai’s perspective, the partnership is presented as a way to stimulate sales growth without the capital intensity required by opening new brick-and-mortar locations. Company executives said Assai has reduced store openings in recent years as part of efforts to cut net debt, and the e-commerce tie-up is positioned as a lower-investment sales channel.
The commercial arrangement therefore combines online marketplace listing with logistics services - storage and last-mile delivery - provided by MercadoLibre. Executives for both firms described Assai as becoming a user of MercadoLibre’s end-to-end commerce capabilities for handling product fulfillment.
The companies gave no additional details beyond the product categories covered, the commencement month of March, and the structural nature of the service relationship during the press conference. The announcement highlights a continued trend of platform operators and brick-and-mortar retailers forming commercial partnerships that pair online reach with centralized logistics support.
Summary
Beginning in March, MercadoLibre will list and fulfill Assai products in Brazil, storing and delivering nonperishable foods and items in hygiene and perfumery categories. The deal is framed as a way for Assai to grow sales with lower capital outlays than new store builds, after the company reduced store openings to reduce net debt. Executives described Assai as a client of MercadoLibre’s full commerce fulfillment service.