On 13th February 2020, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce held an introductory session with our Chinese partner, Xiang Li, for luxury Scottish brands who are interested in selling online in China via TMall, Alibaba Group’s e-commerce platform.
Alibaba Group’s headquarters are based in Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province, which is situated south of the Yangtze River Delta and only a couple of hours drive from Shanghai. Although Hangzhou is not a Tier 1 city, it is the e-commerce capital of China and has a population of approximately nine million people. TMall.com is the largest business-to-consumer retail platform in Asia and enables businesses to sell directly to millions of consumers throughout China. This opportunity, developing as a result of our recent and successful trade visit to Shanghai/Hangzhou in November 2019, has attracted around 12 notes of interest from luxury Scottish brands who are interested in the huge potential and growth opportunities that the China market offers. Sectors in which interested companies operate include jewellery and fashion, food and drink, and textiles/lotions, however all luxury products are welcome.
In the first instance, Glasgow Chamber aims to create a ‘Scotland Shop’ on TMall, allowing Scottish brands to come together and work under a collaborative group in order to communicate the ‘Scottish’ story and create an ‘experience’ for Chinese customers. Glasgow Chamber of Commerce will act as a legal body for these firms and will have a representative in Hangzhou who will lead the negotiations and discussions with TMall. This opportunity offers exciting new prospects for Scottish firms and we are eager to see them develop, achieve growth and fulfil their productivity potential.
If Glasgow Chamber can take away one key learning from the visit in November 2019, it is that a single visit is insufficient. Follow up and a continued dialogue with those whom we met is essential. With this in mind, we hope to visit again as soon as is practical in line with FCO guidance, to not only build upon and strengthen our existing relationships, but to develop new friendships, new support networks and new growth opportunities for our Scottish companies.
If you are a luxury Scottish brand and would like to understand more about this opportunity, please contact internationaltrade@glasgowchamberofcommerce.com.
