TikTok rumoured to be creating separate application for US market
The current US administration has repeatedly signalled its long-term intention to ban TikTok.
Despite this, President Trump and his team have repeatedly stated that they do not intend to see TikTok disappear entirely from the US market, but rather have the application divested from its parent company ByteDance for data privacy and national security reasons.
As of 18 June 2025, the US administration issued its third extension to the original ban deadline, giving TikTok another 3 months to comply.
Recent reports have suggested that ByteDance is now working on a project under the internal codename ‘M2’ – reportedly intended to be sold to a consortium of investors and scheduled to launch on 5 September 2025.
This rumoured application is said to be entirely separate from TikTok’s wider global platform, with its own independent data infrastructure and content recommendation algorithm, fully hosted on servers based within the United States.
Regardless of whether the new application comes to fruition, investors and industry analysts are already raising questions. Some have pointed out that if the standalone app does launch, strategies that once relied on global viral trends may no longer work. Others have questioned whether users and sellers who currently operate in the US region would be forced to transition entirely to the new platform. Others have interpreted the move as a discreet sale of TikTok’s US operations — but framed in more diplomatic language.
TikTok has responded quickly to the growing speculation, firmly denying the accuracy of the report. On 9 July, TikTok issued an official statement saying that the Reuters report was based on ‘anonymous uninformed sources’, and is ‘factually inaccurate’. However, the company did not directly clarify whether any plan for a migration or sale actually exists.
Temu targets expansion in European food markets
Temu — the fast-growing online marketplace owned by China’s PDD Holdings — is now planning to enter the European food sector as part of its wider push into the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market, especially as it faces increasing regulatory hurdles over the import of low-cost inventory into the European Union.
Since its launch, Temu has made waves by undercutting established online giants such as Amazon, AliExpress and Shein with rock-bottom prices and free delivery. The platform’s parent company, PDD Holdings (previously known as Pinduoduo), has continued to invest heavily in Western markets.
Now, TEMU has turned its focus towards Europe’s highly competitive food and grocery segment. As of May 2025, TEMU has reportedly established a dedicated local team in Germany — its initial hub for expanding into the European food market. According to industry insiders, the company also plans to roll out operations in Switzerland, Austria and potentially other nearby countries in the coming year.
TEMU is actively looking to partner with local suppliers — especially smaller manufacturers producing confectionery, packaged snacks, health supplements and similar niche goods. It remains to be seen how successful this venture will be – in 2015, Amazon previously tried a similar approach under the Amazon Fresh brand, before pulling from the market in October 2024.
Amazon launches 15-minute delivery service in partnership with Gopuff
Amazon has rolled out a new ultra-fast delivery service in the United Kingdom, offering deliveries in as little as 15 minutes through a strategic partnership with instant delivery company Gopuff.
The collaboration follows a successful trial in Birmingham and Salford back in May 2025. The service is now available in several major UK cities, including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Cardiff, Bristol and Sheffield — with further expansion expected later this year.
The new offering allows customers to order a wide range of everyday essentials, including groceries, household items, baby products and alcoholic beverages, directly through Amazon’s website or mobile app 24 hours a day. In select areas, deliveries can arrive at the customer’s door within just 15 minutes, rivalling other rapid grocery services already competing in the British market.
The ultrafast delivery model relies on Gopuff’s extensive network of micro-fulfilment centres, strategically located close to urban neighbourhoods to enable fast last-mile logistics. These small warehouses stock high-demand goods in bulk, allowing delivery riders to pick and dispatch orders in minutes, rather than hours or days that is typically reflected in traditional fulfilment models.
Russell Jones, Director of Grocery Partnerships at Amazon stated ‘we are always working to give customers more choice and more convenient options to have their groceries delivered. Partnering with Gopuff and other grocery partners is an important way of offering Amazon customers their favourite stores and brands, ordered via our website. The new launch with Gopuff brings our customers access to a convenient and affordable way to access their everyday groceries’.
