Alibaba lands in the Netherlands in its European conquest endeavour

Announced during a visit to Alibaba’s campus in Hangzhou, China, by a delegation of Dutch companies and government officials, the agreements included the launch of a Holland “pavilion” on Tmall Global, an Alibaba online marketplace that provides a streamlined sales and logistics channel for overseas companies to sell directly to Chinese consumers.

Alibaba, which is positioning its shopping websites as a cost-effective gateway to China for foreign brands and merchants, has established a number of online pavilions showcasing the products of countries such as the US, UK, France and South Korea. Built in partnership with the Dutch Consulate, the Holland pavilion on Tmall Global will display Dutch brands such as Nutrilon, Hero Baby, Philips and Friso.

Meanwhile, Dutch supermarket chains Albert Heijn and Attent launched new stores on Tmall Global, while Alibaba’s travel website, Alitrip, announced agreements with KLM and the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions. The latter struck a deal with Alitrip to establish a destination page for Chinese travelers on the website and to “explore new ways of collaboration,” according to Alibaba. KLM agreed to launch an Alitrip.com flagship store selling airline tickets and other services to Chinese travelers. The visiting Dutch delegation included Dutch King Willem-Alexander, who is touring the PRC as part of an official state visit.

Alibaba, which dominates China’s ecommerce market, has said that increasing the size of its global ecommerce operations is a key long-term strategy. The company has been beefing up its European ties, announcing the expansion of its UK office and the establishment of a new office in Italy, with locations in Germany and France to follow. Ma was recently appointed as a business advisor to UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

Alibaba also plans to highlight international ecommerce and cross-border shopping during its upcoming 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, a massive 24-hour sale to be held Nov. 11. More than 80 Dutch brands currently offer products and services on Alibaba’s Tmall and Tmall Global marketplaces, and many will participate in Tmall’s 11.11 festival promotions, the company said.