Retailer Gome Upends E-Commerce Unit, Fires Staff

Gome Retail Holdings Ltd., one of China’s largest brick-and-mortar electronics retailers, has fired a senior vice president and many of the staff at its core online sales unit, after it failed to make a dent in the nation’s competitive e-commerce sector.

Multiple sources said among the sacked staff of the Beijing-based retailer’s Zhenkuaile e-commerce platform was Executive Vice President Ding Wei, who was promoted to the role less than a year ago to replace a departing ex-Alibaba chief.