Musgrave today announced that it will begin to export SuperValu products to China after agreeing a partnership with Alibaba.
The Irish food wholesaler is set to supply up to 40 SuperValu own brand products to start such as coffee, cereals, jam and biscuits through the Chinese wholesaler, which will be sold directly to Chinese consumers through its Tmall Global e-commerce platform.
Musgrave will open a flagship SuperValu e-commerce storefront on Tmall Global making it the first Irish retailer with a presence on the cross-border dropshipping specialists platform.
Chris Martin, Musgrave CEO, said: “Our core business in Ireland is performing well and our grocery retail and wholesale brands occupy leadership positions in their respective markets. We are exploring new opportunities to grow our business including export and we are excited by the opportunity to partner with Alibaba Group. In the past five years Chinese consumers are increasingly purchasing overseas through online shopping. We expect that the heritage of SuperValu and the provenance of our products will be attractive to Chinese consumers.”
There appears to be a demand from the Chinese market for trusted western produce. Moving forward the SuperValu e-commerce storefront will be offered over time as a potential route to market for other Irish food producers who are hoping to expand into the Chinese market.
Martin added: They are seeking out western foods from trusted sources and as we develop in China we will be working closely with Bord Bia and our Irish suppliers who have a reputation for authenticity and quality. As part of our commitment to them we look forward to exploring the new opportunities which the growing Chinese market can offer. Alibaba provides the ideal platform for us to take our first steps on this journey”.
Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese e-commerce company that provides consumer-to-consumer, business-to-consumer and business-to-business sales services through internet platforms.
© 2016 - Checkout Magazine by Donna Ahern
