Sweden-based confectioner Cloetta is selling a selection of its products in China in its first foray into the online retail market in the country via Alibaba’s Tmall platform.
A Cloetta spokesperson told just-food the company’s online presence, launched in December, marks its first online retail presence in China and allows the company to offer a range of its candy assortment to consumers across the country.
Products available on the Tmall platform include Cloetta-owned brand The Jelly Bean Factory, Jenkki chewing gum, Dietorelle sugar-free candy and Galatine, a milk powder-based candy.
“China is a huge online market for food,” the spokesperson said. “We have previously seen a positive interest from some of our products in China and we therefore decided to launch this initiative. It should also be seen as a ‘test and learn’ store for Cloetta in China.”
The spokesperson said it was “too early to tell” whether Cloetta might go on to open additional stores with other Chinese online retailers.
Cloetta sells some of its products into physical retail outlets in China, such as Galatine, via distribution and import companies.
In October, Cloetta reported a rise in earnings for the third quarter, despite lower sales in the period. The Swedish group’s operating profit rose to SEK216m (US$24.3m), versus SEK212m in the year-ago period. On an adjusted basis, operating profit increased to SEK224m from SEK194m.
