CP AXTRA, the operator of Asian wholesale and retail chains Makro and Lotus’s, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Alibaba Cloud to integrate artificial intelligence throughout its corporate operations.
The agreement outlines the deployment of Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen and Wan AI models across CP AXTRA’s workforce to support the company’s customer service initiatives in Southeast Asia. The integration focuses on specific business applications, which included content marketing, merchandising, and planning and fulfilment.
To implement the technology, CP AXTRA and Alibaba Cloud are establishing a joint AI Task Force. This group will oversee the governance of all AI initiatives and work with Alibaba Cloud domain experts to develop customized, proof-of-concept solutions tailored to the retailer’s operational needs. The broader objective of the MoU is to establish a “Think AI First” framework, training employees across various departments to utilize AI as a standard tool in their daily workflows.
Tanit Chearavanont, CP AXTRA’s Group Chief Executive Officer Wholesale Business, indicated that AI adoption is a current operational priority for the company. He stated that the joint task force is designed to ensure the integration process remains structured and measurable, with the goal of creating a workplace culture capable of utilizing AI effectively.
Representing Alibaba Cloud, Charlene Sawasdee, Country Managing Director of Thailand, noted that successful AI implementation at scale requires both a technological foundation and a clear strategic approach. She added that the partnership leverages Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure and AI models to assist CP AXTRA in modernizing its business practices.
The initiative utilizes Alibaba Cloud’s established technological infrastructure. The company’s Qwen models, introduced in 2023, provide large language and multimodal capabilities, while the Wan model is designed for video generation tasks.
CP AXTRA, a subsidiary of CP Group, currently operates in 10 countries and manages a network of over 2,700 offline retail locations across Thailand and the broader Asian market. Through this partnership, the companies aim to establish a framework for long-term AI adoption in the region’s retail sector.
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