Alibaba Grows European Market Footprint

Continuing on its globalization strategy, Alibaba has grown its footprint in Europe.

The eCommerce giant announced yesterday (Oct. 20) that the European expansion is part of its overall goal to be a “gateway to China” in order to become a global hub for international brands and businesses. This also means partnering with individual countries to facilitate imports into China from across Europe.

To help grow its presence, Alibaba is also opening up a regional office in the U.K., as well as a new office in Italy. The countries will serve as hubs for local brands, retailers and government partners who, according to Alibaba, “seek to access the large and growing Chinese consumer class looking for high-quality international products and services.” Alibaba aims to serve as a platform to promote cross-border commerce across Europe in order to create more commerce opportunities between sellers in Europe and buyers in China.

“Chinese consumers are looking for quality, authentic international products and global brands. Europe is a logical first step with its diverse range of unique brands and high-quality products” said Michael Evans, president of Alibaba Group. “We are putting in place a strong team of experts in our Italian and U.K. offices that will help European brands, retailers and government partners understand the opportunities in China and work directly with them in local language, in-country, to get their products into the hands of Chinese consumers.”

Joining Alibaba as regional manager will be Amee Chande in the U.K. and Rodrigo Cipriani Foresio in Italy. Chande has previously served as the managing director of NutriCentre (a health and wellness subsidiary of Tesco) and as the managing director of Staples UK, in addition to prior senior roles at Walmart and McKinsey. Foresio has served as President of Cinecitta Istituto Luce srl, as President and CEO of Buonitalia, in numerous senior positions at Mediaset, and as Advisor to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage.

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