Gretna Green Limited has launched a dedicated Chinese website to help step up its international reputation.

The privately owned visitor attraction already attracts more than 860,000 people a year and its bosses said it was important to increase its online presence.

It has worked with Unineed Group to develop the website, and its e-commerce platforms will allow Gretna Green Ltd to export Scottish products to the Chinese market.

It focuses on the heritage of the business and offers consumers products which can be shipped internationally.

Statistics show that the Chinese online retail market is the largest e-commerce market in the world, expected to be worth $1trillion by 2020.

Isabel Rhodes, commercial director of Gretna Green Ltd, said: “Launching our Chinese-facing website is the latest step in implementing our company growth strategy and furthering the work carried out at our visitor attraction over the last 12 months.

“Our Chinese customer base on site is fantastic and we want to build a digital presence within this market to offer and enhance the online experience of all our Chinese customers.”

Alasdair Houston, chairman of Gretna Green Ltd, added: “We are taking the unique history and heritage of Gretna Green to our Chinese customers in China.

“With a product offer that celebrates this heritage including Gretna Green own-brand and other Scottish merchandise, the introduction of this website to our existing international e-commerce site will continue the process of internationalising ‘Brand Gretna Green’.”

Lowell Wang, managing director of Unineed Group, said: “Many Western brands find it difficult to adapt their offering for the Chinese market, which means they are missing out on the world’s largest e-commerce market.

“We have worked together to offer a piece of Scottish culture to mainland China.”