Minds + Machines announces China expansion

Chinese webmasters had a number of new domains to look forward to on Wednesday, with the announcement that Minds + Machines Group was expanding into the market.

The AIM-traded owner and operator of internet top-level domains said it had appointed local registry company ZDNS as its local infrastructure partner.

It also announced it had appointed Allegravita, which it described as a "leading strategic marketing company focused on introducing registry businesses into China", as its advisor on entering the large market.

"To date, Allegravita has advised 15 registries, while ZDNS currently enables over 40 top-level domains complying with Chinese regulations on domain name administration", Minds + Machines' board said in a statement.

The company's management said it expected the first domain sales in China to commence late in the first quarter, when the first tranche of seven Minds + Machines wholly-owned domains would be introduced to the Chinese market.

These were to be .beer, .fashion, .fit, .law, .wedding, .work and .yoga. It was anticipated that .VIP would be launched during the second quarter, where a major focus would be on the Chinese market.

"Following extensive consumer focus-group testing of our portfolio, it is clear we have a group of top-level domains that resonate exceptionally well with Chinese audiences", said Minds + Machines non-executive director David Weill.

"Through our strategy of partnering with proven in-country industry leaders, we believe we are well-placed to enter this fast growing market in a highly effective market", he added.