Suning Said to Invest in Smartphone Maker Smartisan

(Beijing) – Suning Commerce Group Co. Ltd. has agreed to take a minority stake in smartphone maker Smartisan Digital Co. Ltd., a person close to the appliance maker and retailer says.

The amount of investment is not yet known, the person said, but an employee of Smartisan said the companies have agreed to the deal.

Suning may be seeking to boost its online retail business through mobile Internet by integrating an operating system it is developing into Smartisan's phones, the person close to the appliance firm said.