(Yicai) Nov. 14 -- Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, one of Chinese e-commerce giant’s six business groups, has concluded its acquisition of Visable, a European business-to-business digital trade platform, a source at Alibaba Group told Yicai.

Visable will retain its independence after the deal, with both the German firm’s management and organizational structure remaining unchanged.

Going forward, wholesale marketplace platform AIDC will operate in Europe with two brands, Alibaba and Visable. The company will continue to invest in its European business and provide technological input for Visable's B2B platform to better serve European clients. 

Visable was formed from the 2019 merger of WLW and Europages, two European B2B platforms. It was one of the first B2B e-commerce platforms worldwide, providing services including digital sales channels and market promotions for European small and mid-sized businesses. 

In late October, Alibaba launched its European Pavilion, offering EU- and UK-certified goods. The company said it will enhance its business in Europe via more refined country-specific operations in the future. 

Editor: Tom Litting