New alliances to nurture Shanghai's retail capabilities

Shanghai has set up four alliances to better facilitate procurement and preparatory work for the inaugural China International Import Expo that will be held in the city in November.

The members of the alliance - Cross-border Import E-commerce Alliance, Large Retail Purchaser Alliance, Integrated Trade Service Provider Alliance and Exhibition and Trade Service Alliance - announced their proposals at a news conference hosted by the Shanghai government on Thursday.

Xia Shifeng, secretary-general of the Shanghai Cross-border E-commerce Association, said the new alliance will help introduce foreign goods on the country's popular cross-border e-commerce platforms, such as Tmall, JD, Xiaohongshu and Ymatou.

The six-day expo from Nov 5 to 10 will be followed by China's biggest online shopping festival Singles Day on Nov 11 and the alliance will help promote sales for overseas sellers on e-commerce platforms, she said.

The large retail purchaser alliance consists of 19 major retailers, such as Bailian Group, Bright Food Group, Walmart, Carrefour and Metro's branches in China.

Pu Jingbo, vice-president of Bailian Group, said the alliance will serve as a communication platform between the retailers and the expo office and use its advantages in retail channels to forge deals with foreign exhibitors in advance and organize group procurement during the expo.

The integrated trade service provider alliance covers a wide range of services, including logistics and customs declaration.

Zhu Yong, president of Orient International Holding Co Ltd, said the alliance will support exhibitors with year-round consultancy services and build an information-sharing platform. The exhibition and trade service alliance will integrate different exhibition platforms in Shanghai, including those in Waigaoqiao bonded area, Hongqiao Central Business District and Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

"With the establishment of the four alliances, we hope to promote transactions between the procurers and exhibitors and expand the spillover effect of the expo to enhance Shanghai's brand as an international shopping destination," said Shen Weihua, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.

It is expected that about 3,000 companies from around the world and 150,000 buyers from home and abroad will participate in the expo.

Earlier in April, the expo launched an online one-stop trading platform which will allow companies participating in the exhibition to display their products, seek potential partners and complete online trading with digital payment systems.

Cao Wei, vice-president of Donghao Lansheng Group - the operator of the China International Import Expo, told China Daily in an earlier interview that smart services will be the signature of the expo as information can be shared, demand and supply can be matched, and the experience of attending an exhibition will be reshaped.