Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

SAM’S Club, a membership-only warehouse operated by retail giant Walmart, announced Thursday that it had upgraded its strategic cooperation with Australian winemaker Treasury Wine Estates (TWE), owner of Australia’s most prestigious and iconic wine brand Penfolds.

The two sides will jointly introduce more exclusive and limited edition wine series to Sam’s Club members, in a bid to meet members’ needs for a diversified yet daily portfolio of fine wines.

As part of the tie-up, Sam’s Club will become the exclusive sales representative of Bin 23 Pinot Noir of the Penfolds collection in China.

“The strategic partnership will enable both sides to better serve the core consumers in the middle and high-end wine market and further enhance our advantages in terms of commodity selection and quality service,” said Tina Zhang, chief merchandising officer of Sam’s Club in China.

Jack Wu, general manager of TWE in China, said Penfolds has a strong following in China. “We hope to further deepen our cooperation with Sam’s Club and enhance the close relationship between the brand and consumers in the retail market,” said Wu.

Chinese consumers’ increasing appetite for western wine has propelled Australian wine exports to China. The value of Australia’s wine exports grew 10 percent to A$2.82 billion (US$1.92 billion) in 2018 with China leading the way, according to statistics revealed by Wine Australia earlier this year.

Walmart has ramped up its expansion in China amid growing competition from local rivals and online retailers. Last month, the retailer announced plans to open 500 new stores in the country over the next five to seven years.

Walmart China established its presence in China with the opening of a supercenter and Sam’s Club in Shenzhen in 1996. It plans to add 16 new Sam’s Club stores to its existing 24 such stores on the Chinese mainland by 2020.