US retail giant Walmart and Japanese internet titan Rakuten unveiled a strategic partnership which will include collaboration on digital books in the United States and grocery delivery in Japan.

The two firms will launch a new online grocery delivery service in Japan later this year, and have agreed to a retail alliance making Walmart a key partner on e-books and audiobooks using the Rakuten format Kobo, according to a statement late Thursday.

The deal comes amid a growing international presence by US online giant Amazon, which offers an array of services in different countries including video, e-books and grocery delivery.

"Rakuten is a strong e-commerce business and we're excited to collaborate with the top online shopping destination in Japan," said Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon, who met Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani in Tokyo to sign the agreement.

"We look forward to expanding our grocery footprint in Japan and launching a new offering of e-books and audiobooks for our customers in the US."

http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/01/27/walmart-rakuten-unveil-alliance-on-e-books-groceries.html