METRO launches flagship store on Tmall
The German retailing company METRO has today (8 September) launched its official flagship store on Alibaba’s Tmall Global platform. The online storefront will sell products from METRO’s private labels as well as supplier brands from Germany.
In the first phase, around 100 products in the categories of dairy, canned foods, coffee, and chocolate from METRO Cash & Carry Germany as well as cosmetics goods from Real will be offered online. The plan is to add more items on the e-shop as the roll-out continues.
“Opening the flagship store on Tmall Global again shows our clear confidence in the Chinese market, where we possess a solid commercial position and proven track record for high quality and broad assortment,” said Olaf Koch, Chairman of the Management Board of METRO AG. “This latest innovative platform enables us to deliver more quality imported goods and German brands to the Chinese customers through our competence in global sourcing and supply chain.”
The international shipping from Europe to China is performed in advance to ensure sufficient stock is stored in Shanghai Free Trade Zone warehouses. Chinese customers are able to benefit from cross-border delivery directly from the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and fast customs clearance fulfilled by Alibaba Group’s specialized service team.
In addition to the cross-border e-shop, Alibaba and METRO have also agreed to explore omni-channel and comprehensive collaboration opportunities in areas including global sourcing of quality products in different categories, supply chain optimization and market insights leveraging on big data.
The METRO Group, which generated sales of around €63bn in FY 2013/2014, operates around 2,200 stores in 30 countries. METRO entered the Chinese market in 1996 and currently runs 82 wholesale markets in 57 cities.
