Aldi China plans to open a flagship store on Tmall, Alibaba’s B2C marketplace platform, within the next few months.
The German supermarket chain has just launched a corporate website in China to signal its upcoming entry into Asia. This features a market-specific logo and Chinese name 奥乐奇, with the slogan “Handpicked for you”.
Aldi shares which product categories it will offer the Chinese market: breakfast, snacking, wine, organic and cooking. Some of these products will be directly imported from Aldi’s suppliers in Australia.
It was initially thought Aldi would launch its own independent website, reports Retail Analysis. Other grocery retailers that sell through Tmall include Sainsbury’s and Waitrose from the UK. Waitrose sells through Royal Mail’s Tmall site.
While China’s online market is competitive, Aldi’s approach will give it time to understand Chinese shoppers and adapt its offer if necessary. And though many products will come from Australia, Aldi has a strong focus on local sourcing in many of its other markets.