Real Madrid to increase China presence with Alibaba deal

Real Madrid and Tmall Global, an overseas platform and an extension of Alibaba's B2C Tmall.com business in China, jointly announced the launch of the official online Real Madrid store for consumers in China.

"We have strengthened still more our bond with the country through this agreement with Alibaba, a globally recognised leader in online commerce," Real president Florentino Perez said on the club website.

The Real Madrid online store is another example of Alibaba Group’s strategy to bring premium foreign brands and products directly to Chinese consumers. Fans of Real Madrid can now directly purchase their favourite and genuine Real Madrid merchandise on the club’s Tmall Global online store.

"It allows us to launch the official Real Madrid shop in China for over 600 million Chinese consumers online."

Real Madrid is the first club in the world to have opened offices in China, headquartered in the Beijing capital. With millions of Real Madrid fans in China, the club aims to reach new fans through Alibaba Group’s China retail platforms.

Real are at the beginning of a pre-season tour of China where they will play friendlies against Inter Milan on Monday and AC Milan on Thursday.