(Yicai Global) July 29 -- Chinese e-commerce giant JD.Com will acquire a minority stake in Beijing Digital Telecom, the nation's largest chain of physical telecoms stores, for HKD213 million (USD27.3 million).

JD.Com and BDT penned an agreement regarding 65.8 million shares, or a 9 percent stake in the latter, at a price of HKD3.3 (US 40 cents) each, paid in cash, the Beijing-based online retailer said in a statement yesterday. 

The two sides will cooperate in the fields of finance, logistics, second-hand mobile phone sales, insurance, and cloud services, the statement added. They will seek to offer smart shopping experiences and embrace the era of fifth-generation mobile networks.

Founded in 2001, BDT has 3,000 outlets spanning over 30 provinces across the country, counting the nation's major telecom operators as its clients. 

JD.Com is going deeper into offline retail and low-end markets as it has previously invested in home appliance seller Jiangsu Five Star Appliance and Lenovo Lecoo, Sina Finance reported, citing analysts. Lecoo, the Hong Kong-headquartered handset maker's New Retail unit, launched its first unmanned convenience store in Beijing last year. 

Editor: Emmi Laine