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Reuters

Office Depot on Monday teamed up with Alibaba Group Holding to launch a co-branded e-commerce website, seeking to tap into the opportunities of selling to small and medium businesses in the United States.
While the Chinese e-commerce giant has signed deals with US companies, including Kroger Co, to sell products in China through its online marketplace Tmall, the deal with Office Depot marks Alibaba’s first business-to-business collaboration with a major US company.
The partnership would give Alibaba access to Office Depot’s 10 million customers and 1,800 sales agents.
Alibaba would also be able to take advantage of Office Depot’s distribution network that offers next-day delivery in the US, the companies said in a joint statement.
Huawei spat fuels misconceptions about Chinese tech firms in Europe
Office Depot’s customers will also get access to Alibaba’s global network of more than 150,000 suppliers to find more product options or a reputed manufacturer to produce their goods.
For instance, a cutlery maker with a special design can find a factory to make it, which can be sold to restaurants or retailers across the world using the Alibaba.com platform, John Caplan, head of North America B2B at Alibaba, said in an interview with Reuters.
“This is a great catalyst for growth for small and medium businesses in the United States. We believe it is going to save them time, it is going to save them money,” Office Depot chief executive Gerry Smith told Reuters.
Alibaba posts 37 per cent gain in quarterly profit, bucking slowdown in China
The partnership comes as Office Depot struggles to boost sales amid severe competition from e-commerce giant Amazon.com. It is now focusing on selling business services to their customers, rather than relying on its traditional business of selling office supplies.
Office Depot’s business-to-business sales have grown to become its largest revenue generator in 2018, while its retail sales have declined in the last two years. Shares of Office Depot were up about 1 per cent, while shares of Alibaba were up 1.4 per cent.
New York-listed Alibaba is the parent company of the South China Morning Post.


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Alibaba

Office Depot and Alibaba team up to tap small and medium businesses

Attendees walk by Alibaba Group Holding’s booth during CES 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre in January. Photo: Agence France-Presse

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China Business

The partnership would give Alibaba access to Office Depot’s 10 million customers and 1,800 sales agents


The partnership would give Alibaba access to Office Depot’s 10 million customers and 1,800 sales agents.
