Chinese e-commerce giant Temu on Wednesday announced that it has opened a local distribution warehouse in an effort to speed up fulfilment to South African shoppers.

The move is set to increase competitive pressure on homegrown e-commerce platforms like Takealot and foreign investors like Amazon, which entered the South African market directly in 2024.

“Shoppers in South Africa can now receive their Temu orders in as little as one day, thanks to the e-commerce platform’s new local warehouse dispatch option,” the company said in a statement.

“The roll-out of local fulfilment in South Africa is part of a broader effort by Temu to cut delivery times globally and further broaden its merchandise selection. In addition, the initiative is now available in the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.”

Eligible products are labelled “local warehouse”, indicating that they are stocked in domestic facilities and dispatched directly from within South Africa. “This allows for faster, more reliable fulfilment, particularly during high-demand shopping seasons.”

Temu, which launched in the US in September 2022 and entered the South African market in 2024, now operates in over 90 markets worldwide.

Read: Temu hits turbulence

“Temu does not own warehouses but works with trusted third-party logistics providers. Under the local fulfilment model, sellers store inventory in local warehouses, manage logistics and provide after-sales support, allowing for faster delivery and more responsive service,” the company’s statement said. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media

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