Alibaba deepens retail foray with new Chinese supermarket tie-up

Hong Kong

ALIBABA Group Holding Ltd is teaming up with Shanghai Bailian Group Co, one of China's largest supermarket and department store chains, as Jack Ma accelerates an effort to employ technology to shake up old-fashioned retail.

Alibaba's planning to help upgrade some of Bailian's 4,700 stores across the country, integrating everything from customer relations to payment and logistics in a manner similar to its tie-ups with other players such as electronics chain Suning Commerce Group Co.