Countdown, Healtheries and Comvita are among the New Zealand businesses using Alibaba to open the door to the enormous Chinese consumer market. Alibaba ramping up business in Australia & NZBRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS Alibaba listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014, with chief executive Jack Ma claiming it was the largest initial public offering in the worldChinese internet giant Alibaba is growing its business in Australia and New Zealand, with plans to open an office in Melbourne at the end of this year. Alibaba already employed a handful of people in Australia, and it will expand its workforce and probably open more offices, Evans said. It also raked in US$14.3b during China's holiday for singles, called Singles Day, where single people treat themselves to gifts. Alibaba global president Michael Evans told the AFR that the company had half a million consumers in Australia and it would be looking at building the business out beyond its main functions.

Source: Stuff July 19, 2016 21:22 UTC