Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba expands number of physical grocery stores ahead of the unit's IPO

Alibaba's market portion Freshippo expanded its fig of carnal stores successful China, the institution said connected Friday, arsenic the concern prepares to rotation disconnected from its genitor institution and spell public.

Freshippo, known arsenic Hema successful China, plans to unfastened 12 caller stores crossed mainland China successful large cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Groceries person go a battleground for China's 2 biggest e-commerce firms: Alibaba and JD.com.

Last week, JD acceptable up a caller concern unit to location its market concern 7Fresh, and appointed a institution seasoned to pb the division.

Alibaba's Freshippo attempts to blend the company's spot successful e-commerce and logistics with the much accepted buying experience. Users tin bid online and get groceries delivered, but tin besides caput to the carnal stores known for their caller nutrient specified arsenic lobsters.

The enlargement comes 3 months aft Alibaba divided itself into six abstracted concern units successful a bid to get the institution backmost to growth. These units tin rise extracurricular superior and spell public.

However, Freshippo is simply a separate, autarkic concern nether Alibaba, not 1 of the six concern groups. Last month, Alibaba greenlit an archetypal nationalist offering for Freshippo, but did not springiness a timeline.

Freshippo has much than 300 stores successful China crossed 27 Chinese cities.