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Report: Aeon opens research center in Shanghai

Japanese retail company AEON Co. Ltd. opened a contemporary research center in Shanghai geared toward equipping shopping centers with artificial intelligence and electronic payment systems, Nikkei Asian Review reported May 31.

The research center will leverage AeonDelight DeepBlue Technology, a joint venture with Shanghai-based startup DeepBlue Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., under which a security system and cleaning robots will be introduced to an Aeon shopping center in Jiangsu Province, the Nikkei said.

Aeon plans to extend the technology to 80 other locations in China, with plans to sell it to other retailers. It will leverage China's mobile-payment services such as Alipay and Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s WeChat Pay for online payments.

The establishment of the research lab in China is in line with Aeon's vision, which sees China as a major playground for its digital strategy. Benefiting from its experience in China, it endeavors to expand into Southeast Asian markets.

Aeon will boost investment in information technology and logistics with a ¥500 billion investment. CEO Motoya Okada said retailing was undergoing "significant changes" and that "traditional methods no longer work," according to the report.

In March, Aeon announced that it would develop artificial intelligence-powered stores in China in conjunction with DeepBlue.

As of May 30, US$1 was equivalent to ¥108.89.