The move comes ahead of Alibaba's share sale in the US, widely expected to one of the biggest by a technology firm.

 

Alibaba is China's biggest online retailer¹. The total value of goods sold on its platforms last year exceeded that on Amazon and eBay combined. 

 

The portal 11Main.com will initially² be open to customers by invitation only. 

 

"We want the shops to represent the diversity of Main Street. Some shops are high-end boutiques and some are more vintage,'' said Mike Effle, president and general manager of 11 Main. 

 

The site is being launched by Auctiva and Vendio, two of Alibaba's subsidiary companies acquired a few years ago.

 

 

China's internet market has grown rapidly to become the world's largest with more than 600 million internet users. 

 

Domestic companies, especially those which were early entrants into the sector³, have benefitted from its fast-paced growth.

 

Founded 15 years ago by Jack⁴ Ma, Alibaba has gone on to become one the biggest internet firms in the world. 

 

It generated revenues of 40.5bn yuan in the nine months to the end of December 2013, making a net profit of $2.9bn.

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