Who owns your China store?

Tmall Global Expert Guide 5 min read

Who owns your China store?Tmall Global store types, brand authorization, and what to put in your agency contract

By Shanghai Jungle · Published November 2026 · Updated November 2026

In This Guide

1. 1. What every store needs
2. 2. The 3 store types
3. 3. Brand owned or distributor held
4. 4. What to put in the contract

Most brands going to China through Tmall Global choose between 2 routes. You run the store under your own overseas company, with a Tmall Partner (TP) doing the daily work, or you let a distributor hold it.

Why it matters

The choice decides who sets your prices, sees your customer data and controls your listings, and how hard it is to change partner later.

1

What every Tmall Global store needs

Tmall Global is Alibaba's cross border marketplace for companies registered outside mainland China. The company that opens a store needs 3 things.

A company registered outside mainland China. A company in your home market qualifies.

A trademark registered outside mainland China. A Chinese trademark is not required to open the store.

We still recommend filing one for your brand protection.

An established business outside China, such as retail sales or research and production.

2

The 3 store types and the letters they need

Tmall Global lists 5 store types. 3 of them matter for a brand, and each needs a different authorization when the company opening it does not own the trademark.

Flagship store

Opened by the trademark owner itself, or by 1 company holding an exclusive authorization letter direct from the owner. Only 1 level of authorization is allowed. The exclusive letter is signed by the trademark owner's CEO or a director, and it has to state a specific end date.

Specialty store

Needs an authorization letter direct from the trademark owner. The owner can sign letters for more than 1 specialty store.

Multi brand store

Sells 2 or more brands in the same category. It needs a complete chain of authorization that starts with the trademark owner. In most categories the chain can run up to 4 levels. A chain from the owner to a distributor to the store counts as 2 levels.

Trademark owner →Level 1 Distributor →Level 2 Store

Some categories are stricter. Baby formula, baby food and baby nutrition allow 3 levels, and health products and medicine allow 2. A multi brand store can also open with purchase invoices instead of a chain. In that case it needs no letter from you at all, and your control sits only in the supply contract.

3

Brand owned store or distributor held store

Route 1

A brand owned store run by a TP

The store is in your overseas company's name. As the trademark owner you open the flagship yourself, so there is no letter to police. You hold the account, approve prices and listings, and see the sales and customer data. The TP runs the store under a service contract. If you change TP, the store, its reviews and its followers stay with you. You carry more of the cost and the decisions.

Route 2

A store held by a distributor

The distributor's company holds the store on your exclusive letter. It usually buys the stock, pays the store deposit and fees, sets the retail price and owns the account and the customer data. You do less work and pay less upfront, and you give up control of pricing, listings and data. If the partnership ends, the store and its history stay with the distributor until the letter runs out. A new store for your brand starts without reviews or sales history.

4

What to put in the contract

Checklist

Whichever route you choose, put these points in writing.

1. Store holder, named exactly.The full legal name of the company that holds the store, its registration number, the store name and the store type.
2. End date tied to the contract.The authorization letter ends when the contract ends. A renewed contract gets a new letter. State whether the holder may pass the authorization on, and default to no.
3. Account and data ownership.Who owns the store account, the content and the customer data, during the contract and after it.
4. Backend access.Full access to the store backend for your own team, from day 1.
5. Reporting.A monthly report, with the metrics and the delivery date agreed up front.
6. Fapiao.A fapiao, the official Chinese tax invoice, for every cost, including KOL fees and ad spend.
7. Minimum term and notice.How long you are committed, and how much notice either side has to give.
8. Handover steps and timing.What is handed over and by which date, including logins, content files, data exports and ad accounts.

Shanghai Jungle

Shanghai Jungle helps foreign brands navigate China's digital ecosystem, from market entry through cross-border e-commerce to long-term growth strategy. Based in Shanghai with clients across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific. Get in touch.