Irish food wholesaler Musgrave has partnered with eCommerce giant Alibaba Group to sell its SuperValu products in China via Tmall.
It will initially supply up to 40 own-brand products including SuperValu breakfast cereals, coffee, jam, biscuits and healthy snacks. They will be sold directly to Chinese consumers via Tmall online marketplace, which is already used by Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
Musgrave will open a flagship SuperValu eCommerce storefront on Tmall Global, saying it will make the storefront available over time as a potential route to market for Irish food producers seeking to access the Chinese market.
Alibaba’s logistics affiliate Cainiao Network will manage the distribution.
“Our core business in Ireland is performing well, and our grocery retail and wholesale brands occupy leadership positions in their respective markets,” says Musgrave CEO Chris Martin. “In the past five years, Chinese consumers have been increasingly buying overseas through online shopping. We expect the heritage of SuperValu and the provenance of our products will be attractive to Chinese consumers, who are seeking out western foods from trusted sources.”