The New Zealand Food Basket consortium comprising 18 food and beverage brands in the country has established a joint venture (JV) with Alibaba’s grocery division Tmall Fresh to open a flagship store.

The New Zealand Country Flagship Store offers a range of food products from the country to Chinese customers.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Starting this month, the consortium will initially offer products from nine brands, including Babich, Vogel’s, Rockit, Future Cuisine, Pāmu, Zealong, Fiordland Lobster and Oha Honey through the new store.

Chinese customers can use the Tmall mobile homepage to browse and purchase the products.

“Shoppers in China can gain a greater appreciation of the premium high-quality products that New Zealand offers.”

Alibaba Australia and New Zealand managing director Maggie Zhou said that the company entered discussions with the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise a year ago to open the flagship store on Tmall Fresh.

Zhou said: “Together, we want to help these brands deepen their engagement with the Chinese consumer, so shoppers in China can gain a greater appreciation of the premium high-quality products that New Zealand offers.”

Zhou added that this collaboration will offer participating New Zealand companies to gain influence over positioning, pricing and distribution of their products in China.

The consortium is also planning to add products from nine more brands such as Zespri, Sanford, Lewis Road Creamery, Kāpiti, Sealord, Alliance, Shott Beverages, Wild Catch, and Cherri to the store in June.

New Zealand Food Basket chairperson Nicola O’Rourke said: “It will significantly improve our reach and shorten the supply chain in a way that each brand couldn’t achieve alone.”

Earlier this month, British luxury fashion house Alexander McQueen soft-launched a virtual store on Tmall Luxury Pavilion to offer items featuring images from the John Daekin Archive in China.