Alibaba's Hema Fresh market, which features seafood, prepared food and groceries, aims to diversify its catering offerings by working with regional restaurant operators.
The brand is currently working with 200 canteen and restaurant operators across the country and hopes to expand its partnerships with local caterers to suit dining habits in different regions.
It will help Hema to expand catering choices besides its signature seafood and fresh food offerings.
Ready-made meal boxes from caterers and snack vendors such as Honeymoon Desert, Sun Kau Kee and Xibei Youmian Restaurant will be available through Hema's application for consumers to order online, and they'll also be served to visitors at Hema's real-world stores.
Canteen and restaurant operators can also leverage off Hema's dispatch network so they don't have to set up their own delivery team.
Hema business development director Lu Leining said it's also providing restaurant operators with data analysis regarding Hema's shoppers and shopping preferences to help them design better menus.
Currently about 50 percent of orders on Hema are from mobile users and are fulfilled by its delivery staff. The brand is planning to open 100 outlets in domestic cities by the end of this year, compared to 46 existing ones in 13 cities.
