Mountain Warehouse, a British retailer specializing in accessible outdoor and winter sports products, is reportedly launching a storefront on T-Mall, Alibaba's online marketplace. The opening is meant to be finalized ahead of Singles Day on Nov. 11, the biggest shopping day of the year in China, and could be regarded as a cost-efficient way to test the waters in the Chinese market. Several British newspapers reported this Chinese move after ample sales gains in the first half of the year: Mountain Warehouse's turnover jumped by 24.7 percent to £59.3 million (€82.7m-$89.8m), as the cool and wet weather stimulated sales of protective outerwear. After 34 openings this year, Mountain Warehouse should end the year with 225 stores in the U.K. as well as Poland, Austria and Germany. Online sales expanded by 41.3 percent in the six months and pre-tax profit reached £4.3 million, up by 31 percent.

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