Netherlands: Albert Heijn tests Chinese e-commerce store

Netherlands: Albert Heijn tests Chinese e-commerce store

Albert Heijn, the Netherlands' leading supermarket chain, is considering establishing an e-commerce presence in China, according to reports in the Dutch media.

It is reported that, earlier in September, the retailer briefly set up an experimental store on the Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall, which is part of the Alibaba empire. The company was said to be offering for sale products from its own private label brand range, in addition to the baby powder brand Nutrilon.

In an interview with RetailDetail, Albert Heijn spokesperson Maud van Gaal commented: "We are always looking for new opportunities. We want to keep all our options open, which is why we opened this account [on Tmall.hk]. Nothing is confirmed, no formal decision has been taken and we remain focused on our core markets in Europe and the USA".

Tmall has reportedly long harboured ambitions to expand by attracting overseas retailers, and by creating pages where international products can be grouped by country.

Source: RetailDetail