Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn has opened a small-scale web shop in China selling mainly own-brand items.

The web shop is due to be formally launched later this week, broadcaster Nos says. The website is littered with Dutch cliches, such as tulips, cows and windmills, and has around 100 items on offer.

The prices are sharply higher than in the Netherlands, with a packet of mini stroopwafel biscuits selling for €6.80, almost three times the Dutch price, Nos says.

The broadcaster says Albert Heijn has been aware for some time that its products are being offered for sale on Chinese internet platforms.

‘This initiative fits in with our entrepreneurial spirit and the leading role we have in terms of our online activities,’ a spokesman said.