Reds open store on TMALL platform

The store, which is in simplified Chinese, will be the club's second official e-commerce store in the country and can be accessed here.

Supporters in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan will now have the opportunity to buy official Reds replica kit, training wear, fan wear and accessories, locally.

Following their first visit to China in 2011, the club's fanbase has grown significantly, with more than four million fans following Liverpool's Chinese digital platforms - including Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo and Wechat.

Mike Cox, director of merchandising at Liverpool, said: "We are delighted to be launching the Liverpool e-commerce store for China on the popular TMALL platform with Venue Retail International as our partners.

"China is a very important market for the club. The fanbase has grown dramatically as a result of the growing interest in the Premier League and digital fan engagement through the likes of Weibo and Wechat.

"The new store will give our fans in China the chance to buy a wide range of official products locally."

Liverpool will be the one of the first English football clubs to have their own TMALL store in China, which is a business-to-consumer marketplace owned by the Alibaba Group and is currently the seventh-most visited site in China.

To launch the site, the club partnered with Venue Retail International, which has experience of delivering at large scale events including the London Olympics and the recent Commonwealth Games, as well as a number of Premier League football clubs and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Peter Palmer, chief operating officer of Venue Retail International, said: "Premier League football has become one of the most popular sports in China and Liverpool are arguably the most widely followed.

"We are proud to be able to offer these knowledgeable fans official LFC product through the Liverpool TMALL store, to enable them to connect with the club they love."