The chairwoman of The Mall Group, Thailand's second-largest retailer, is on the lookout for a "strategic partner" to help fend off global e-commerce giants Alibaba Group Holding and Amazon.com in Southeast Asia.
Supaluck Umpujh said that she feels "paranoid" about the situation, which she likened to "a third world war" -- with brick-and-mortar stores on one side and e-tailers on the other. At the same time, she stressed the importance of choosing allies wisely.
