Bricks-and-mortar plus set to trigger new lifestyle

Recent reports that a new plaza offering a 24-hour shopping experience is enjoying brisk business in an eastern city has led me to expect that more such bricks-and-mortar outlets will spring up in other cities.

The Taihe Plaza, built at a cost 2 billion yuan ($299 million) and covering 1.5 million square meters in Fuzhou, with a population of 6 million and capital of Fujian province, received 2 million customers in the first three days of its opening in late 2015 and is attracting an average 100,000 customers a day.

Designed as a world-class comprehensive shopping center catering to customers of all ages, providing top brands and a rich variety of leisure products and services, its immersive shopping environment and business model may give inspiration to the traditional domestic retail industry, which is struggling to survive.