Alibaba.com brings world trade to the West Midlands; ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE.

AS part of a major launch to the UK marketplace, Alibaba.com, the world's largest online meeting place for buyers and sellers, is calling for entrepreneurs from the West Midlands to enter a national trading challenge in a bid to highlight new trading opportunities to businesses in the region.

Founded ten years ago in China, the company has grown rapidly in user base and geography and today connects more than nine million buyers and suppliers across 240 countries and regions worldwide via its trading website.

Maggie Choo, director of Alibaba.com EMEA says: "Newcomers to international trading and to Alibaba.com get fantastic support from the vast community of traders that use Alibaba.com.

"Our forums are packed with experienced business owners and traders willing to offer guidance to those still finding their feet.

"Complete novices have found themselves trading profitably with partners on the other side of the globe in just a few days after swotting up on the terminology, due diligence and trading procedure best practices that can be found on the site.

"Alibaba.com has made the process simple and efficient for anyone to try their hand at international trading. We already have some 420,000 UK companies trading across the platform and we look forward to helping many more tap into the world's trading opportunities. By maintaining a presence on the platform some UK businesses are already finding they receive more business enquiries than they can respond to!" Beginning in September, eight product savvy entrepreneurs will be given pounds 1,000 each to start a business on Alibaba. com.

"The Global Startup Challenge is all about demonstrating that you no longer need buckets of cash or extensive trading experience to start a global business," adds Maggie.

"There are new, lucrative revenue streams that can be accessed via the Alibaba.com trading platform.

"It costs nothing to set up an account on Alibaba.com and get started. Many users find that this is the first step on a journey that delivers significant extra revenues for their business," continues Maggie. "In the current economic climate small businesses in the UK need to ensure they are exploring opportunities and maximising their profits. Alibaba. com can help them achieve both."