Four major procurement alliances formed for import expo to be held in November

Four major procurement alliances were officially formed today by the Shanghai trading group in preparation for the first China International Import Expo in November.

The four alliances deal with cross-border import e-commerce companies, large-scale retailers, comprehensive trade service providers, and exhibition services platforms or organizations. 

"The four major purchasing alliances will help the Shanghai trading group make deals with targeted matchmaking for industries," said Shen Weihua, deputy director of the Shanghai Commission of Commerce. 

"They will also help organize supporting activities for the import expo. Companies included in the alliances have already submitted plans for over 60 activities to match make various industries before, during and after the expo," Shen said.

The cross-border import e-commerce alliance will tap cross-border e-commerce giants such as Tmall Global, JD Global, Red and Ymatou to be the main channel to introduce overseas new products to the expo with the support of the Shanghai Cross-Border E-Commerce Association.

The large-scale retailers alliance, formed by domestic retail companies such as Bailian Group and Bright Food Group, as well as foreign-funded retailers such as Metro AG and Walmart, will provide service platforms for offline direct selling.

The alliance for comprehensive trade service providers will rely on integrated trading corporations such as Orient International Group and Shanghai Eastbest & Lansheng International Group to provide services in logistics, trading, customs declaration and commodity inspection.

The exhibition service alliance aims to integrate the city's current bonded exhibition platforms for wines, machine tools, autos and cosmetics in the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, the import goods exhibition and trading center in the Hongqiao Business District, and national commodity centers such as the pavilions of 16 Central and Eastern European countries.

Meanwhile the Shanghai trading group has drawn 1,000 companies, with 100 of them joining the four procurement alliances, according to You Yongsheng, director of the Foreign Trade Development Office of Shanghai Commerce Commission.