Tech leaders battle for supremacy

Competition between Alibaba, Tencent intensifies in the offline retail market

The battle between China's top two internet heavyweights has reached a new high, with Tencent Holdings Ltd making an intensified push into the offline retail market, where its arch rival Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has an established presence.

Tencent's latest investment in Chinese menswear group Heilan Home Co Ltd, its third move into the retail market within a week, highlights its ambition to challenge Alibaba as the two are racing to reinvent old-school retailing with technology, analysts said on Monday.