Chinese etailer Shangpin partners with UKTI to attract British brands to China

ShangPin, which signed Topshop to its site in August, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UKTI and the China-Britain Business Council in a bid to attract more UK brands looking to enter the rapidly expanding ecommerce market.

ShangPin focuses on offering Chinese consumers access to international brands. Founded in 2010, the company has over 5 million customers in China.

ShangPin chief executive David Zhao said: “Our hugely successful online launch of iconic British brand Topshop through ShangPin.com was a milestone in Chinese retail history. Topshop is one of many leading international brands now looking to enter China via online platforms instead of opting for a traditional bricks-and-mortar presence.

“Chinese ecommerce and social media marketing is hard for foreign brands to crack, so a local partner is essential. With this MOU, we hope to bring even more British brands into China. Our unique offer that provides everything a brand needs to enter a new market: our online retail platform, social media marketing, and partnerships with Chinese celebrity brand ambassadors is a one-stop shop of local support, ready-built customer bases, and on-the-ground marketing.”   

The partnership comes ahead of a major exhibition of UK business to the Chinese market, the Great Festival of Creativity, due to take place in Shanghai next March.