The government of Xiaoshan district, Hangzhou, signed an agreement with Alibaba Local Life Service, an arm of Alibaba Group, on Jan 9 to build Xiaoshan into a "digital life new service" demonstration zone. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

The government of Xiaoshan district, Hangzhou signed an agreement with Alibaba Local Life Service, an arm of Alibaba Group, on Jan 9 to build Xiaoshan into a "digital life new service" demonstration zone.

Alibaba Local Life Service Company was founded by Alibaba Group in 2018 through the merging of its food delivery service Ele.me and food and lifestyle unit Koubei.

According to Daniel Zhang Yong, Alibaba's chief executive, the company is about more than just food – it aims to redefine urban life.

With the support of Alibaba, Xiaoshan district introduced new retail platforms such as Freshhema and Tmall shop, as well as several other new retail projects.

The cooperation with Alibaba accelerated the development of the new retail services in Xiaoshan, an official at the Xiaoshan bureau of commerce said.

"We will intensify cooperation with companies to carry out more projects, boosting the development of new retail services to bring more benefits to sellers and customers," he added.