Hailing district in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hema (China), Alibaba's premier new retail platform, to establish a regional headquarters and expand the company's footprint across the city, officials announced on Aug 12.
The partnership builds on the success of Hema's first Taizhou store, which opened at Davemall shopping center in Hailing in October 2024 and has since posted strong results. Under the new accord, the two sides will jointly set up the regional headquarters in Taizhou, accelerate the rollout of Hema NB discount format, and co-develop a direct agricultural procurement supply chain linking local producers to the platform's national distribution network.
Hema operates more than 1,100 stores in over 90 cities across the nation, relying on digital technology and end-to-end cold-chain logistics to power its Hema Fresh and NB retail concepts. The collaboration is expected to energize Hailing's consumer economy and create new channels for regional agricultural products.