SoftBank, already an investor in Grofers, would look to invest in a round of up to $100m for the merged company, should the Indian online grocery retailers come to an agreement.

Tencent has agreed to invest $200m in the mobile used goods marketplace, which is being spun out by another of its portfolio companies, classified listings platform 58.com.

The telecom group is reportedly in negotiations to acquire a 20% stake in the Paytm owner at a valuation that will likely be between $7bn and $8bn.

John Lewis and subsidiary Waitrose have teamed up for the fourth year of its retail technology accelerator, JLab, through which startups can apply for up to $125,000.

Naspers, a shareholder of the South African e-commerce platform since 2015, has invested approximately $72m to boost its share to more than 53%.

Nordstrom and Coppel could exit the online men's fashion company, which is in talks with Walmart over an acquisition that would follow $127m of venture funding.

The Disney and JF Shea-backed toy robot maker has now secured almost $110m in total, after a regulatory filing indicated it has secured $23m in new funds.

Consumer-focused corporate venturers committed a record $21.59bn over 137 rounds in 2016, primarily in consumer businesses, with e-commerce platforms dominating

Steamboat Ventures, a venture capital branch of entertainment and media conglomerate Walt Disney, made its second investment in the parenting e-commerce platform.

Tencent, Microsoft and eBay provided the funding, which was formally announced alongside the acquisition of eBay's India business.