A large duty-free shopping zone with approximately 3,000 big-name brands such as Armani, Prada and Burberry will be opened in Fuzhou, capital city of Fujian province in October, Strait News reported on Thursday.

The shopping zone will be operated over three floors inside two commercial-purpose villas on Fifth Central Avenue, the core business area in downtown Fuzhou.

Around 3,000 top brands, some of which were introduced to Fujian and even China for the first time, will take up an area of nearly 400 square meters on three floors.

The operator of the shopping mall is the China Duty Free Group which is the only state-owned enterprise authorized by the State Council to operate duty free business across the country.

“Normally duty-free stores (of such a scale) only exist in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. It is the first time for a second-tier city like Fuzhou to land one,” said an official from the company.

The increasing consumption in the Wanbao business area, where Fifth Central Avenue is located, the forming of a commercial cluster and the proximity to a subway station being planned are all reasons for the company to decide to put in a duty-free shopping mall here, he added.

As well as gathering together these world famous brands, the avenue also aims to become a base for e-commerce. It will exempt income tax for the first two years, and half the tax in the next three years for enterprises within the area, according to an official from the Taijiang district.

E-commerce has been thriving in Fuzhou over the past two years. Local merchants have opened more than 90,000 shops using various e-commerce platforms. More than 300 of them have even built e-commerce platforms of their own. The number ranks third in Fujian, only behind Putian and Xiamen.