Blackmores looks for healthy growth in China's nutrition market

Health supplements maker Blackmores announced in Beijing on Monday that Dou Xiao, a popular Chinese actor, has been appointed its new brand ambassador.

The endorsement is intended to help the Australian brand better convey its philosophy of natural health, said Peter Osborne, managing director of Asia at Blackmores.

The company is devoted to offering nutrition solutions and an improved lifestyle to Chinese consumers in a bid to contribute to the Healthy China 2030 initiative, according to its senior executives.

Blackmores very much values the Chinese market, where it pursues long-term growth, said Marcus Blackmore, son of the Australia-headquartered company's founder Maurice Blackmore.

The company wishes to bring about a change in Chinese consumers' lifestyles with its innovative products, reliable quality and natural health philosophy, he told Chinese media during a recent weeklong visit to Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Blackmore was accompanied on the tour by the company's top executives, including CEO Richard Henfrey and Chairman Stephen Chapman, demonstrating the country's crucial position on Blackmores' global business expansion landscape and the company's strong confidence in the robust growth momentum of the Chinese market, industry observers said.

During their trip, Blackmores signed an agreement on a joint business plan with Tmall Global, a business-to-customer sales arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba.

The partnership enables Tmall Global to become a priority channel in distribution of Blackmores' products. In the future, more Blackmores products will make their China debut on the portal of Tmall, according to the Australian company.

One of the pioneers in e-commerce, Blackmores has long been campaigning for online promotion. It also forged a strategic partnership with Chinese shopping portal NetEase Kaola, which focuses on imported goods, in late August.