Metcash's Fresh Pantry forges China deal

Local products sold under Metcash’s Fresh Pantry brand will soon be launched on China's high profile online shopping site JD.com.

JD Worldwide, a rival to e-commerce giant Alibaba, will sell products from Fresh Pantry - a convenience/small store format concept that was launched by Metcash in 2016 - on its JD.com shopping site.

Fresh Pantry has two physical stores in Australia with 10 scheduled to open later this year, according to Metcash. Product categories to be sold on JD.com include food, wine, household, baby and maternal, and healthcare.

Although this is Fresh Pantry’s first foray into China, Metcash last year signed a deal with a major retailer, Suning Holdings Group, to introduce Australian and New Zealand products to the Chinese market.

Metcash’s head of China operations Will Zhao said the store on JD Worldwide would “look to become the pre-eminent platform for Australian and New Zealand products and deliver an authentic Fresh Pantry shopping experience to consumers in China”.

“We believe that JD, with its excellent reputation for authentic products and world class logistics system, is the perfect platform for us,” Zhao said.

JD.com’s president of International Winston Cheng said that as Chinese online shoppers grew ever more sophisticated and discerning, they were gravitating to high quality Australian food and healthcare brands.
“I am confident that Fresh Pantry, with its focus on quality and selection, is an excellent fit for our platform.”