German supermarket Aldi opens online store in China

German discount supermarket, Aldi, will start selling wine, as well as other products online this month via Tmall Global, the retail platform operated by e-commerce giant, Alibaba.

A screen grab of Aldi’s Chinese web page

The soft opening of a bricks and mortar store meanwhile is scheduled for 20 March and the official grand opening will be held in Shanghai in April, the company said in a statement on its website.

Most of the products will be sourced from its existing Australian suppliers to serve the China market with a focus on value.

“For decades, the Aldi’s own brands have enjoyed the reputation of providing excellent value for money,” said Christoph Schwaiger of Aldi. “We are convinced that Chinese customers are also very interested in the quality and the reasonable prices we can offer them.”

Terry von Bibra, general manager Europe of Alibaba Group, commented: “The name Aldi is a concept in many countries of the world and like Alibaba, the company is a pioneer in its industry. We are very pleased to support Aldi Sud at the Chinese market with Tmall Global, one of the largest e-commerce platforms for consumers in China, and to work as a strategic partner with Aldi  in other areas, such as B2C, B2B and marketing.”

“Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms reach not only the approximately 443 million active users, but also serve the strongly growing interest of the Chinese middle class in products Made in Germany. The products of Aldi South will undoubtedly be very popular among consumers. ”