Chengdu aiming to create a shopper's paradise

With a solid foundation in consumer demand, innovative and diverse shopping as well as rapid but steady economic growth, Chengdu in Southwest China is poised to turn itself into an international consumer city.

Chengdu has taken the lead nationally in this type of development thanks to the local government's innovative policies to boost the consumer economy, improve its market capacity and promote industrial upgrading, according to local officials.

According to the Chengdu government, by 2035, the city is expected to develop into an international consumer city with global influence and appeal, and will have five high-end commercial districts.

Local market data support Chengdu's determination to build an international consumer city, according to local officials.

Statistics show that Chengdu's retail sales of consumer goods amounted to 680 billion yuan ($97.12 billion) in 2018.

In the first nine months of 2019, retail sales of consumer goods in Chengdu totaled 542.91 billion yuan, up 9.7 percent from the same period in 2018.

Retail sales of wearable smart devices and smartphones in Chengdu soared by 196.8 percent and 53.1 percent year-on-year. During this period, the city's retail sales of new energy vehicles increased by 457.3 percent year-on-year.

Chengdu's consumer goods market also witnessed a steady upgrade this year.

The Chengdu Retail Business Association's statistics show a total of 435 flagship stores opened in Chengdu during the first 11 months of 2019. Out of this, five are the world's first shops, one is the first in Asia and 76 are the first in southwestern China.

A metropolis located in Southwest China, Chengdu has made strides in developing its nighttime economy.

According to a report by an urban data research institute affiliated to the China Business Network earlier this year, the nightlife index of Chengdu is 76.21. It ranks fifth nationwide and just follows the country's four first-tier megacities of Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing.

Statistics from Dazhong Dianping, China's Yelp-like business-review service platform, show nighttime consumer spending at restaurants accounts for 57 percent of a day's total in Chengdu, ranking second nationwide.

An increasing number of Chengdu's more than 4,000 book stores are staying open 24 hours a day.

According to data released by the online ticketing platform damai.cn, Chengdu residents' spending on cultural performances at night ranks fourth in China.

Nighttime trips along the Jinjiang River in Chengdu received more than 200,000 visitors during the 2019 Spring Festival vacation, running on Feb 4-10.

Chengdu is scheduled to create 100 nighttime economy demonstration sites across the city. Diverse features are to include sightseeing, traditional operas, amusement parks, sports, shopping and catering.

To innovate upon its consumer economy, Chengdu is scheduled to take advantage of its Tianfu Greenway, an ecological trail across the city.

The Tianfu Greenway will offer more space for companies to open outlets in addition to the city's commercial districts. This will help transform Chengdu's ecological value into social and economic value, according to Ran Yang, a senior executive at a construction company for the Tianfu Greenway.

Since many residents like to walk or run on the Tianfu Greenway on evenings and weekends, introducing commerce to the greenway will help extend service times for consumers, Ran added.

Some professionals and industrial insiders shared their views on Chengdu's attempt to build an international consumer city at a conference held on Dec 16 in Chengdu.

"Chengdu has the economic foundation, advantages and resources to develop into an international consumer city," said Wang Wei, director at the market economy research institute of the Development Research Center of the State Council.

Wang added that the city has huge market potential, diversified and multitiered market resources, prominent geographical advantages, developed infrastructure and favorable industrial policies.

Wu Yushan, general manager at the Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu, a renowned shopping mall in the city, said that in the retail sector, a raft of international brands have begun to put Chengdu at the forefront of their development strategies in China.

Chengdu's plan to turn itself into an international consumer city will stimulate the city's economic vitality and help improve its business environment, bringing greater opportunities for the city's commerce, Wu added.

Chengdu is a city with open, inclusive and international visions, which is attractive to global consumers and businesses, said Huang Yamei, an executive of the Chinese branch of Japanese retail brand Ito Yokado.

Qiu Min, director of public affairs at the southwestern branch of China's e-commerce giant JD, said this year marks the 10th anniversary of JD's operation in Chengdu. Looking ahead, the company will lay out new business models, such as community e-commerce and unmanned supermarkets in Chengdu.