Alibaba, the Chinese ecommerce company that has long connected US brands to Chinese suppliers, now wants to help sell goods to American consumers.
The company, which is poised for an initial public offering that analysts say could value it at more than $100bn, announced yesterday that it would launch its first majority-owned ecommerce venture in the US.
Two of Alibaba’s US subsidiaries, Vendio and Auctiva, will soon launch a business-to-consumer site, called 11 Main. Alibaba did not give further details about 11 Main beyond describing it as a boutique ecommerce platform selling “interesting quality products” from “handpicked shop owners”.