(Yicai Global) June 20 -- Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has cut back the operations of its community group-buying platform Jingxi Pinpin due to dismal sales amid intense competition.

Jingxi Pinpin, which was launched in January last year to compete with e-retailer Pinduoduo, is only offering services in three cities now, namely Beijing, Langfang in northern Hebei province and Zhengzhou in central Henan province, Yicai Global noted when logging onto the app today. At one stage the bulk buy platform had expanded to 80 cities across China.

JD.com has started carrying out a new round of restructuring, tech media outlet 36Kr reported on June 17. Its business lines under the new Jingxi label, such as Jingxi Pinpin, courier service Jingxida and business-to-business e-commerce site Jingxitong, will all be dismantled this month and integrated into other business groups at its retail arm JD Retail.

Jingxi Pinpin has been making heavy losses since it started. It is estimated to have hemorrhaged more than CNY1.5 billion (USD224 million) in both the third and fourth quarters last year, according to CITIC Securities. JD.com’s new business segments lost CNY2.1 billion (USD314 million) and CNY3.2 billion over the period respectively.

Editor: Kim Taylor