The “unveiling economy” has always been a shining label of business in Jing’an District. During the First in Shanghai Global Promotion Launching Ceremony held on April 11, Jing’an officially released the “Guide for 2024 FIRST STORES IN JINGAN”. In 2023, a total of 236 first stores of leading brands landed in Jing’an, including 15 global first stores and 14 Asian first stores, solidifying its position as a leader in the “unveiling economy” in Shanghai.
The “unveiling economy” is flourishing, with a large number of high-level unveiling events
In recent years, Jing’an has seized opportunities, benchmarked first-rate standards, and taken various measures for quality improvement and upgrading, attracting numerous international brands to choose Jing’an for their “first store”, “first release”, “first exhibition”, and “first show” events. The mature commercial project layout in Jing’an and the large base of new consumer groups provide a natural breeding ground for the “unveiling economy”. This is reflected not only in quantity but also in energy level.
In terms of first stores, in 2023, Jing’an introduced 236 first stores, including two global first stores (Christian Louboutin’s global first Loubi Family themed space and L’Oréal PRO global flagship salon), four Asia-Pacific first stores, and 31 China’s first stores. From January to February 2024, Jing’an welcomed 60 first stores, including one global first store (Arc’teryx’s global first brand experience store named after “museum”) and five China’s first stores. Besides, the largest flagship store of Apple in the Chinese mainland opened at Fengshengli · Jing’an Temple Square, and the renowned Italian Tiramisu brand Pompi settled on Wujian Road.
In terms of the first release and first exhibitions, GUCCI held the GUCCI Four-City Linkage Opening and Public Open Day events at Zhang Garden, showcasing the new GUCCI Ancora series. Miu Miu hosted a fashion product launch event at Rong Zongjing’s Former Residence. Bottega Veneta opened a pop-up store at Plaza 66. The American fashion brand Gap collaborated with London-based skateboarding brand Palace to launch a collaborative fashion collection for adults and children.
It is reported that Jing’an will continue to launch a series of high-level unveiling events. For example, Birkenstock will celebrate its 250th anniversary at Zhang Garden, featuring a pop-up store and the introduction of its high-end 1774 collection to China for the first time. Shanghai Plaza 66 will host a large-scale iconic event called “2024 Spring Wonderland”, collaborating with international brands to release exclusive, first-release, and limited-edition items. The fifth “Shanghai International Cosmetic Festival and Jing’an District May 5 Shopping Festival” will kick off with a launching ceremony, featuring cosmetic forums, cosmetic industry trend presentations, and the debut of newly released products. The event is expected to host nearly 30 top domestic and international brands, a new high in number.
The RMB 100-billion-level business district’s strong allure: West Nanjing Road business district sees “three firsts” on the same day
As a long-standing “battleground” for well-known businesses in Shanghai, the West Nanjing Road business district has consistently topped the list for most first stores in the city. Jing’an has been dedicated to transforming it into a world-class business district with global influence.
Recently, the West Nanjing Road business district in Jing’an has launched a series of high-level events. On March 21, the West Nanjing Road business district saw the “first store”, “first release”, and “first exhibition” on the same day. Apple’s largest flagship store in the Chinese mainland was opened at Fengshengli · Jing’an Temple Square, with the presence of CEO Tim Cook; Oleato, which offers a revolutionary coffee experience, was launched by Starbucks, with Starbucks Founder and Board Chairman Emeritus Howard Schultz showing at the Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery for the unveiling event; LOEWE opened its first large-scale brand exhibition “Crafted World” at the Shanghai Exhibition Center.
Jing’an has fully leveraged the advantage of West Nanjing Road as the “world showcase”, attracting high-level brands to establish their flagship stores in the area. Relying on the landmark carriers for new product launches within the area, the West Nanjing Road business district has hosted high-level consumer exhibitions, pioneering exhibitions, fashion shows, and brand debut events. Jing’an is making concerted efforts from multiple fronts —advancing the business district development to high standards, continuously strengthening brand clustering, innovatively developing the digital business district, deepening and enlivening the event economy, and furthering institutional reforms. These measures aim to transform West Nanjing Road into a “RMB 100-billion-level business district” and sustain the prosperous commercial atmosphere in the area.
Support the holding of “first release”, “first show”, and “first exhibition” to expand the leading advantages of the “unveiling economy”
The “unveiling economy” is an important engine for tapping into consumer potential and stimulating market vitality. In recent years, Jing’an has closely aligned itself with the construction of Shanghai as an international consumption center city, continuously highlighting and amplifying the core advantages and comprehensive effects of being a “Global Demonstrative Area of Launching New Products”. Efforts have been made to strengthen the role of “first store” and “first release” in attracting customers, continually igniting the momentum of the first-store economy.
In April 2019, Jing’an became the first “Global Demonstrative Area of Launching New Products” in Shanghai. Since 2021, the “unveiling economy” has become a shining label of business in Jing’an and has been incorporated into Jing’an’s major tasks of promoting the “Shanghai Shopping” brand and accelerating the construction of the Demonstration Area of “International Consumption Center City” in Shanghai. In early 2023, Jing’an put forward the goal of transforming West Nanjing Road into a “RMB 100-billion-level business district”, continuously enhancing the level of the “unveiling economy” within the district.
Last year, to further promote the construction of the “Global Demonstrative Area of Launching New Products”, Jing’an launched an incentive program for innovative development in the consumer market. It provided subsidies and support for Jing’an commercial and trade enterprises that organized events for the “first release”, “first show”, and “first exhibition” of high-level new products, as well as those that introduced leading innovative business formats and models. This year, Jing’an will continue to focus on promoting the development of the unveiling economy. It will introduce special funding support policies for brand construction, with a focus on supporting high-quality brand enterprises and related service organizations to carry out new product unveiling events. Special subsidies will be offered to eligible enterprises to help them enhance their brand influence and visibility and to assist them in further cultivating and developing in Jing’an and Shanghai.
The person in charge of the Jing’an District Commission of Commerce stated that Jing’an will continue to expand the leading advantages of the “unveiling economy”. The district will further attract globally renowned brands to establish their first stores in Jing’an and organize high-level unveiling events. This will enable the latest and trendiest products and services to be launched in Jing’an to create an international fashion hub and a benchmark for quality consumption, meet the consumers’ demand for high-quality and high-level goods, comprehensively deepen the construction of the “Global Demonstrative Area of Launching New Products”, thereby making new contributions to the construction of Shanghai as an international consumption center city.