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RAPAPORT... Online retail powerhouse The Alibaba Group unveiled 11 Main (www.11main.com), a new shopping destination for U.S. consumers that is inspired by a traditional "Main Street" experience to sell jewelry, watches, fashion goods, art, toys and other items. Operating as an invitation-only marketplace, 11 Main will host specialty shops and boutiques that feature a wide range of products, including one-of-a-kind items, not available at mass merchants and other large ecommerce sites.
“At 11 Main, we’re passionate about the shops we invite and helping them grow,” said Mike Effle, the president and general manager of 11 Main. “We’re constantly introducing new shop owners who represent the diversity of Main Street and featuring their new, amazing products in a beautifully designed experience.” 
Alibaba is the largest online and mobile commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Michael Zeisser, the chairman of U.S. investment for Alibaba, said, “Alibaba believes in 11 Main’s vision and its commitment to helping small businesses grow. 11 Main brings something incredibly unique to the U.S. market, and we’re very excited to support the 11 Main team as they begin to realize this vision.”
Denise Dent, the owner of The Jewelry Lady’s Store, added, “It’s truly exciting to participate in a marketplace that gives me a place to build my brand and sit alongside other shops who share my passion for products and customer experience. I immediately requested an invitation to open a shop and am looking forward to growing my business at 11 Main.”
Alibaba Group owns Taobao Marketplace (www.taobao.com), China’s largest online shopping destination; Tmall.com (www.tmall.com), China’s largest online third-party platform for brands and retailers; Juhuasuan (www.juhuasuan.com), China’s most popular online group buying marketplace; AliExpress (www.aliexpress.com), a global online marketplace for consumers to buy directly from China and Alibaba.com (www.alibaba.com), China’s largest global online wholesale platform for small businesses. In addition, the company operates a wholesale marketplace in China, 1688.com (www.1688.com), and Alibaba Cloud Computing (www.aliyun.com), a provider of cloud computing services for businesses.
Alibaba Group also provides payment and escrow services on its marketplaces through its association with Alipay (www.alipay.com), a related company of Alibaba Group. Through China Smart Logistics, a 48 percent owned affiliate, Alibaba Group, operates a central logistics information system that connects a network of express delivery companies in China.
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