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Alibaba opens first Australia office in Melbourne, strengthens ties with AusPost

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has opened a base in Melbourne to serve as headquarters for its operations in Australia and New Zealand.
“With a local office and expert team, Alibaba Group will help Australian and New Zealand businesses share their world-famous products with billions of customers around the world,” Alibaba Group Executive Chairman Jack Ma said in a statement at the opening ceremony on Saturday, 4 February 2017.
The office on Melbourne’s Collins Street is led by ANZ Managing Director Maggie Zhou, a 17-year veteran of the company who most recently served as deputy general manager of cross-border B2C shopping site Tmall Global. Zhou and her team will support the 1,300 Australian and 400 New Zealand businesses selling on Tmall and Tmall Global, while also working to bring new merchants onto the platforms.
“A physical Alibaba headquarters is a key step in ensuring Australian businesses have the support and information they need to succeed in China and the rest of the world,” Zhou said in a statement. The goal, she explained, is “to build the entire operating infrastructure needed to enable local businesses to expand globally,” including cloud computing, online payments and logistics.
In a separate development, Alibaba stepped up its partnership with Australia Post, signing a memorandum of understanding that will bring the state-run logistics company to Southeast Asia’s e-commerce market through Alibaba-owned Lazada Group. The MOU also states that Australia Post will work with Alibaba’s logistics arm, Cainiao Network, to improve data integration and develop a co-branded, cross-border delivery service for Australian outbound parcels destined for China.
“Our enduring relationship with Alibaba will allow local Australian businesses to access the biggest online marketplace in the world,” said John Stanhope, Chairman, Australia Post.
The two companies first partnered in 2014 when Australia Post set up a storefront on Tmall Global that connected Australian SMEs with Chinese consumers. Australia Post then provided the logistics necessary to get the orders to China.

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