Kroger to sell its goods to Chinese shoppers through Tmall

NEW YORK – Kroger will start to sell some of its products to Chinese shoppers through a website owned by internet giant Alibaba, the latest move by the supermarket chain to boost its digital business.

Cincinnati-based Kroger is working to catch up with Walmart and with Amazon.com, which bought grocer Whole Foods last year. In recent months, Kroger launched an online delivery service, upped its investment in a British online grocer and agreed to buy a meal-kit company.

Kroger Co. said Tuesday that it will sell items from its store brand Simple Truth on Alibaba’s Tmall site, including Simple Truth nuts and multivitamins. The online store will open Wednesday, Kroger said.

Many American companies sell their goods on Tmall as way to reach Chinese customers without havening to open physical stores in the country. Costco, for example, sells Kirkland vitamins, nuts and other products on the site.

Kroger shares rose 2.3 percent Tuesday.