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"Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is set to make its presence felt in the US by launching an online shopping site\u00A0through its subsidiaries Vendio and Auctiva, as\u00A0Reuters\u00A0first confirmed.\r\n\r\nThe new US boutique e-commerce business, called\u00A011 Main,\u00A0is described as a &amp;quot;shopping destination where hand-picked shop owners connect with customers in a stylish and professionally merchandised marketplace.&amp;quot; Interestingly enough, the site also indicates that it will fund some special offers for sellers to attract new customers. It isn't clear when 11 Main will open officially for business.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n11 Main was\u00A0conceptualized, developed and will be operated by the two\u00A0US firms, Vendio and Auctiva, which were\u00A0acquired by Alibaba in 2010. Both companies are known for\u00A0helping merchants sell their products on Amazon and eBay.\r\n\r\nIn a statement issued to TNW, an Alibaba spokeswoman says:\r\nAlibaba is happy to support 11 Main. Alibaba is run by entrepreneurs and firmly believes in supporting entrepreneurs with great vision and a strong sense of mission for their companies.\r\nAlibaba,\u00A0China\u2019s dominant online retailer, has been stepping up its efforts in the West. Most notably, the company\u00A0led a $206 million investment round\u00A0in US e-commerce logistics firm Shoprunner last year, and subsequently made a subtle but significant play for Western companies after it launched\u00A0an English language microsite\u00A0for\u00A0Tmall, its B2C shopping site for brands.\r\n\r\nHeadline image via Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/us/2014/02/11/chinas-alibaba-is-preparing-to-dip-its-toes-in-the-us-e-commerce-market-for-the-first-time/>