Alibaba Is Positioning Itself as Europe’s Sales Gateway to China
LONDON—Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is ramping up its global ambitions, saying on Tuesday it has hired a former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. executive to head its U.K. business.
Amee Chande, who spent five years at Wal-Mart working in retail health and starting a new format of convenience stores in California, will now talk to British businesses about how they can sell better in China, a market that has been hard for Western multinationals to crack. Ms. Chande, 41 years old, most recently worked for Tesco PLC, Britain’s largest retailer, heading its health and wellness business.
Alibaba’s Canary Wharf London office will expand to serve as the company’s European hub. Ms. Chande plans to add to the 15 people currently working for Alibaba in London, but declined to estimate how many hires she will make. The company is also opening an office in Milan and will open offices in France and Germany in coming months.
The various country offices will help local businesses identify products that work for the Chinese market. The offices also will help merchants sell on Alibaba’s platforms, assist with outbound and inbound logistics, and facilitate online payments.
“The time is now to get much more focused on our globalization strategy,” said Ms. Chande in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “Our focus is on supporting businesses going into China.”
Alibaba currently allows Chinese companies to sell in the U.K. and other markets through its AliExpress platform. While the U.K.’s trade and investment office currently works with local businesses to help them sell in China, Ms. Chande said Alibaba is looking to fill a gap in the market for things like logistics and payments, and understanding the Chinese market.
“We are positioning ourselves as experts in the Chinese market who can help companies interpret how the e-commerce landscape is developing,” she said.