Aldi has announced that from second quarter 2017 it will begin on-line retail operations in China.

The company plans to begin by selling wine and parts of its non-chilled grocery range, most of which will be sourced from Aldi’s established Australian suppliers and sold on-line.

Aldi’s initial online service will allow Chinese shoppers access to cheap groceries and weekly specials. It will also offer home delivery.

Aldi already operates in three continents: Europe including Britain, the US, and Australia – and is the seventh largest food retailer globally.

The announcement comes after several years of detailed feasibility studies by Aldi considering its options for entering the Chinese market. The company expects to open physical stores at a later date.

Previous attempts by Western-based supermarket groups such as Tesco and Carrefour to enter the Chinese market have proved difficult.

Chinese consumers are known to be wary of retailer’s house brands but are keen buyers of Australian produce and products since these are perceived by consumers in China to be clean, pure and of high quality.

There is some speculation that Aldi is hopeful of recruiting staff in Australia for its new China business from Australia’s Chinese community.

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