Various products are displayed in the Yiwu Selection store in Nairobi, Kenya. [Photo/Tide News]

The first Yiwu Selection store outside China is set to open at the Waterfront Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on Aug 29, according to the Zhejiang China Small Commodity City Group on Aug 21.

The first shipment includes products from more than 20 top brands from Yiwu, a county-level city in Jinhua, Zhejiang province. Items on offer range from homeware and digital accessories to fashion jewelry.

Kenya serves as a transportation hub in East Africa, facilitating frequent trade exchanges with neighboring countries. Opening the store in Kenya aims to serve the local market while enabling Yiwu to access broader African markets.

This move is part of a 2023 brand expansion initiative, which includes launching submarkets, showrooms, stations, and exhibitions overseas. So far, 60 projects have been implemented in 28 countries, helping over 5,000 merchants reach international customers.

Since January, when the first Yiwu Selection store opened at Yiwu International Trade Market, the brand has rapidly expanded to numerous regions worldwide.

He Lihong, president of the Yiwu Brands Association, highlighted the collective branding strengths of Yiwu Selection stores in comparison to individual ventures, noting the benefits such as scale and increased bargaining power. "Our vision is to open Yiwu Selection stores all over the world," she said.