16 December 2016
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Musgrave today announced that it is to begin exporting SuperValu own brand products to China. Initially Musgrave will supply up to 40 own brand ambient products including SuperValu breakfast cereals, coffee, jam, biscuits and healthy snacks amongst a range of other goods.
Musgrave has agreed a partnership with Alibaba Group and will use its Tmall Global ecommerce platform to sell directly to Chinese consumers. Musgrave will open a flagship SuperValu e-commerce storefront on Tmall Global making it the first Irish retailer with a presence on the Tmall Global platform. As part of Musgrave’s ongoing commitment to Irish suppliers, the SuperValu storefront will be offered over time as a potential route to market for Irish food producers seeking to access the Chinese market.
Alibaba’s logistics affiliate, Cainiao Network, will manage the distribution of products through its logistics data platform. As a storefront on Tmall Global, Musgrave will have access to key online promotional events in the Chinese calendar including the 8.8 and the 11.11 Global shopping festivals.
Chris Martin, Musgrave CEO, said: “Our core business in Ireland is performing well and our grocery retail and wholesale brands occupy leadership positions in their respective markets. We are exploring new opportunities to grow our business including export and we are excited by the opportunity to partner with Alibaba Group.
In the past five years Chinese consumers are increasingly purchasing overseas through online shopping. We expect that the heritage of SuperValu and the provenance of our products will be attractive to Chinese consumers. They are seeking out western foods from trusted sources and as we develop in China we will be working closely with Bord Bia and our Irish suppliers who have a reputation for authenticity and quality. As part of our commitment to them we look forward to exploring the new opportunities which the growing Chinese market can offer. Alibaba provides the ideal platform for us to take our first steps on this journey”.
“Chinese consumers have a desire to discover high quality brands from around the world that they can trust and enjoy. Because of Musgrave’s long history of providing quality food produce, we are delighted to be working with them to bring their high quality SuperValu range to Chinese consumers via our Tmall Global platform,” added David Lloyd, Director, UK/Ireland & Nordics for Alibaba Group.
