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The commercial potential of western Beijing has been fully developed. On August 19, a Beijing Business Daily reporter roughly counted that many old department stores in Haidian District have been fully renovated, and large shopping centers that have been in operation for many years have also started brand changes this year. Some old renovation projects have been completed and are being tested by the market. At the same time, this year, western Beijing has successively welcomed the entry of commercial projects such as Xibeiwang MixC, Haidian Joy City, and Zhongguancun ART PARK Darongcheng. Whether it is a department store or a shopping center, the business in western Beijing has consistently worked towards the direction of youth and technology, activating the vitality of western Beijing's business.

Centralized renovation of old department stores

Old department stores in the western part of Beijing are entering a concentrated renovation phase. A Beijing Business Daily reporter visited and found that Shuang'an Shopping Mall and Contemporary Mall are planning to make adjustments. Among them, Shuang'an Shopping Mall, which has been in business for 30 years, will transform from a landmark project radiating the western part of Beijing to a quality community business radiating 3-5 kilometers around. After the renovation, Shuang'an Shopping Mall will have international beauty and boutique clothing and apparel on the first and second floors, and sports and outdoor brands, women's fashion products, lifestyle and catering brands on the third to fifth floors, providing consumers with a living experience atmosphere.

In terms of the exterior renovation, Hu Qinian, general manager of Wangfujing Group's Beijing Shuang'an Shopping Center, said that Shuang'an Shopping Center will add glass curtain walls to enhance the overall transparency and fashion sense of the project. At the same time, the mall will introduce more catering and lifestyle brands, including beauty salons, fitness, coffee, etc., as well as some parent-child projects, outdoor goods collection stores, technology experience stores, etc., and organize more art exhibitions and cultural and entertainment activities.

Contemporary Mall Zhongguancun store, which has also been in business for nearly 30 years, has also entered the renovation stage. At present, the project has officially closed at the end of December last year. Although the specific content of the renovation is unknown, according to mall staff, the mall may adopt an upgrade and renovation method of demolition and reconstruction, and it may take several years to meet consumers again.

In fact, in recent years, with the implementation of the "one store, one policy" policy in Haidian District, many old department stores have been renovated one after another. Among them, Cuiwei Department Store has introduced digital payment methods and created a comprehensive experience consumption scene by introducing entertainment experience formats such as catering, children's entertainment, and art exhibitions; Ganjiakou Department Store has also introduced young formats such as new retail imported collection stores during the renovation process; Wudaokou Shopping Center, Qinghe MixC and other commercial projects have also completed adjustments according to the project positioning.

New business enters the market

The changes in the commercial landscape in western Beijing are due to the renovation of old projects and the entry of more young commercial projects. With the entry of commercial projects such as Xisanqi MixC, Wukesong Wanda Plaza and Xibeiwang MixC, the commercial supply in western Beijing has become more abundant.

In May this year, Xibeiwang MixC officially opened, and the project introduced a total of 228 brands, with MixC Cinema, Hema Fresh, UNIQLO and URBAN REVIVO as the main stores. It is worth noting that Xibeiwang MixC has more than 60 catering brands, including Chef Fei, Xibei, Banu, and Old Lady Xita, as well as many regional first-time brands such as BAKER SPICE and Changan Ji. At the same time, Xibeiwang MixC has created a permanent skateboard park HOODPARK and a social space Mufeng Square, creating a social space atmosphere through dry fountains and market performances.

In May 2023, Xisanqi MixC will be launched in the market, with about 240 brands opening in the mall at the same time, including 37 first stores in Beijing and the first stores in the region. Xisanqi MixC has a construction area of ​​129,000 square meters, with 7 floors above ground and 4 floors underground. The project features "commerce + sports" and has introduced the first commercial complex baseball and softball experience center in the country and 11 children's physical fitness and art training brands.

Wukesong Wanda Plaza, which opened nearly a year ago, is also moving towards trendy business. As a large-scale commercial project transformed from the former Zhuozhan Shopping Center, Wukesong Wanda Plaza has introduced 13 large experience stores, 15 first stores in Beijing, and 119 city-customized stores. On the opening day, the number of visitors to Wukesong Wanda Plaza exceeded 180,000.

The scope of the western part of Beijing is very wide. Shijingshan District has relatively rich sports resources due to the Beijing Winter Olympics. Shijingshan District is also planning the overall planning of commercial space with Shougang Park as the core. Mentougou District has relatively rich natural resources, and the personalized characteristics of commercial projects in the district are more prominent. The entry of Tan Valley Slow Flash Park provides Mentougou District with differentiated shopping options. Haidian District, the core of the commercial area in the western part of Beijing, is dominated by high-tech industry people and education customers, with strong consumption power. However, Haidian District has always been dominated by existing commercial properties, and there is still consumption potential to be tapped. In order to meet the diversified shopping needs in the western part of Beijing, commercial projects such as Haidian Joy City, Zhongguancun Darongcheng, and Huayuanfang will be launched in succession this year.

Business in western Beijing is getting younger

With Haidian District as the core, the western Beijing area can radiate to Shijingshan District, Mentougou District and other locations. In July this year, at the "Welcome to the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of New China" series of theme press conferences (the second)-Beijing's third anniversary of cultivating and building an international consumer center city, Jia Jianfu, member of the Party Leadership Group and deputy district mayor of the Haidian District Government of Beijing, said that since 2021, Haidian District has introduced a total of 221 first stores with the support of relevant municipal commissions and bureaus. In terms of business district construction, Haidian District has carried out in-depth "one circle, one policy" business district quality improvement actions, and Gongzhufen Cuiwei, Wudaokou Shopping Center, and Qinghe MixC have completed commercial transformation. At the same time, the pace of development and construction of large-scale commercial facilities in Haidian District has accelerated. Large-scale commercial facilities such as Yuejie Shopping Street, Xisanqi MixC, Wukesong Wanda Plaza, and Xibeiwang MixC have opened one after another, enriching the supply of high-quality commerce in Haidian District.

In this regard, Lai Yang, a member of the Expert Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that the business in western Beijing is facing the problem of business transformation. With the increasing demand of consumers and even young consumers for experiential shopping centers, the old department store-style commercial projects are difficult to meet consumer demand, so they are in urgent need of transformation and upgrading. However, because the western Beijing region has a relatively rich number of scientific research institutes and universities, it still has relatively strong consumer purchasing power. Lai Yang further stated that in order to break out of the business in western Beijing, commercial projects need to add more experience formats and catering formats based on the consumption characteristics of the young consumer groups in the area, and smaller community-based commercial centers should highlight the community lifestyle based on the characteristics of the surrounding residents.

Yang Qingsong, Secretary General of the China Department Store Association, expressed a similar view. In Yang Qingsong's view, the western part of Beijing is mostly populated by young consumers, and local commercial projects should explore more diversified experiential and immersive formats based on the characteristics of the location, and even try to introduce two-dimensional brands that young people like. In future operations, it is necessary to add cultural, creative, artistic and other elements.

Jia Jianfu pointed out that in the next step, Haidian District will focus on promoting urban renewal projects such as the renovation of Zhongguancun Plaza, Contemporary Mall, and Jinyuan Shopping Center in Century City. At the same time, combining the higher education, basic education, and vocational education resources in the region, Haidian District will focus on 36 universities and 420,000 college students in the Haidian area to guide and promote the development of university education consumption and technology consumption.

Beijing Business Daily reporter Wang Siqi

Image source: Shuang'an Shopping Center