Alibaba’s Freshippo launches into Australia with local partner

Alibaba-owned grocery chain Freshippo will launch its first presence in Australia, in partnership with Ebest, the local online Asian supermarket.

Freshippo’s items will be available through Ebest’s shopping app and website, with a product selection tailored to the Australian market, including Chinese delicacies such as snacks, juices, tea drinks, and culinary sauces.

Ebest’s spokesperson says that this agreement will greatly expand their product line, providing Australians with better access to authentic and modern Chinese groceries.

“The pandemic has driven more consumers to explore ethnic products, diversifying their home cooking either as a lifestyle choice or as a cost-saving alternative to dining out,” the spokesperson said.

“This trend has encouraged a wider demographic to discover different cultural ingredients and find better deals at grocers that initially served migrants.”

Australia is Freshippo’s third offshore market after the US and Singapore. Freshippo, founded in 2015 as Alibaba Group’s grocery retail business, now has 400 locations in 30 Chinese cities.

Ebest, launched in 2020, has become one of Australia’s highest-profile online Asian supermarkets, with more than 50,000 items across 18 categories.

In June, Ebest launched on Albaba’s e-commerce platform AliExpress, with the goal of “revolutionising the online grocery shopping landscape by bringing in a new era of convenience and accessibility for consumers.”