Directors at Chinese retail giant Alibaba have visited the headquarters of the Spanish Federation of Food and Beverages Industries (FIAB) with a view to getting to know the sector better, the FIAB's site, Blog.FIAB.es, has reported.
The group has stated that Spanish food and beverage products are attractive due to their quality, variety and safety, which represent unique selling points in the Asian market.
Alibaba is China's largest online marketplace and one of the world's biggest, boasting over 420 million active consumers in the Chinese market.
Ignacio Garamendi, FIAB's business development director, said, "This meeting is going to allow us to explore future settings for our food and beverage industries. The economic figures that we just presented, along with our products' good international image, have been key in Alibaba's interest."
About 90% of online sales in China are done through marketplaces. This contrasts with only 25% in Europe. The presence of Spanish food and drink in this type of channel would give almost immediate access to one of the world's biggest markets.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Gabriela Guédez. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
