To meet Chinese consumers’ growing demand for fresh food that can be ordered online, Cainiao, Alibaba Group’s logistics arm, is opening distribution centers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to provide delivery of meat, produce and other perishables purchased on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall.com within 24 hours.
The three new distribution centers are equipped for “cold-chain” storage and delivery with temperature-controlled warehouses as well as refrigerated trucks and special cold boxes for transport. Their opening will extend 24-hour, door-to-door delivery of fresh groceries ordered on Alibaba’s marketplaces to 18 Chinese cities, according to Cainiao. The Shanghai and Guangzhou centers began operating this month, while the Beijing center is expected to open on June 25. Service will be expanded to 50 cities by the end of the year.