Nearly 800 brands' first stores introduced in three years: explosive growth ...

Recently, Guangzhou released its three-year progress report on becoming an international consumption hub. Between 2021 and 2023, Guangzhou introduced 794 brands' first stores (city-level and above), with over 420 stores opened in 2023 alone, exceeding the total number of the previous two years combined. This surge indicates a booming "first-store economy."

A "first store" refers to the first outlet of a significant chain brand opened in a particular city or region. Wang Xianqing, Dean of the College of Applied Economics at Guangdong Baiyun University , explained that "the brand's image alignment with the city, the city's consumer purchasing power, and the brand's strategic market positioning are key factors in a brand's decision to open its first store in a city."

In Kearney's Global Cities Index , Guangzhou was the only city among China's five international consumption hubs to see its ranking rise for three consecutive years, reaching 55th place globally in 2023. It ranks third in China, following Beijing and Shanghai. In 2023, Guangzhou's consumer spending per capita was 49,480 yuan, second only to Shanghai among the five cities, reflecting the city's pursuit of high-quality living.

"Guangzhou's first-store economy has achieved remarkable success in the past three years," said Zhang Yi, founder and CEO of iiMedia Research in an interview with Xin Kuai Bao (The New Express). He attributed this success to the city's continuous development of commercial districts and the substantial increase in commercial space, which has created fertile ground for brands to set up their first stores.

According to Winshang's big data, from 2021 to 2023, Guangzhou's shopping centers experienced rapid growth, with 19 new centers opened in 2023 alone, adding 1.258 million square meters of commercial space. Among these new openings last year, there were several landmark projects marking the debut of China's major commercial property management companies in Guangzhou.

On July 15th, 2024, the Da Yue Hui or Joy Mix in Guangzhou's Huangpu district celebrated its first anniversary. As the first store of the "Da Yue Hui" brand nationwide and the debut commercial project of Grandjoy Holdings Group in South China, this project, with just 28,000 square meters, achieved impressive results: a 100% leasing rate, 99% opening rate, annual customer traffic exceeding 10 million, total sales surpassing 560 million yuan, and a membership base exceeding 200,000. Meanwhile, the Jinmao Plaza, located above Meihuayuan Metro Station on Guangzhou Avenue North , offers five major lifestyle themes, including sports, family, refined living, entertainment, and dining, with over 30% of its brands being new to Guangzhou or the shopping district.

Not only are well-known external brands making a splash, but local commercial giants are also showcasing their strengths. For instance, Yuexiu Commercial 's International Commerce Center (ICC), unveiled before National Day in 2021, was the first new commercial complex in the north part of the Tianhe central business district in 12 years. The opening saw fierce competition among brands, with many first stores within South China and Guangzhou eager to secure a spot.

Additionally, Zhang Yi highlighted Guangzhou's advantages as an exceptional transportation hub, which continues to attract more first stores. Statistics show that inbound tourists to Guangzhou (including residents from Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and Chinese Taiwan) grew from 1.6477 million in 2021 to 3.7741 million in 2023, ranking first among the five international consumption hubs.

Source :Yangcheng Evening News

三年引入近800家品牌首店，廣州“首店經濟”井噴式增長

近日，廣州市發佈國際消費中心城市建設三週年成績單。記者注意到，2021-2023年，廣州共引進794家品牌首店（城市級別及以上），其中僅2023年便引入逾420家，首店總量超越前兩年之和，“首店經濟”呈井噴式增長。

首店，是指市場中具備影響力與代表性的連鎖品牌在某地或某地理區域範圍內開設的第一家門店。“入駐城市是否符合品牌的形象定位、入駐城市的消費能力、品牌進入市場的戰略地位是品牌商家選擇某一城市開設首店的重要原因。”廣東白雲學院應用經濟學院院長王先慶表示。

在“科爾尼”全球城市綜合排名中，廣州是5個國際消費中心城市中唯一實現三年連續上升的城市，2023年排名全球第55位，緊跟北京、上海位列第三。數據顯示，2023年廣州居民人均消費支出爲49480元，在5個國際消費中心城市中僅低於上海排名第二，反映了廣州居民對高品質生活的追求。

“廣州首店經濟，在最近這三年取得了非常顯著的成績。”艾媒諮詢集團創始人、CEO張毅接受新快報記者採訪時認爲，廣州持續的商圈構建及大量的新增商業面積，爲首店進駐提供了肥沃的土壤。

據贏商網大數據監測，2021年至2023年，廣州購物中心存增量供應勢頭迅猛，其中2023年新開19家購物中心，帶來125.8萬㎡新增體量。去年上新的購物中心中，不乏全國商管大咖首進廣州的代表性項目。

2024年7月15日，作爲全國首個亮相的“大悅匯”品牌，也是大悅城控股華南大區首開商業項目，廣州黃埔大悅匯迎來開業一週年，這一租賃面積僅2.8萬㎡的項目，交出了招商率100%、開業率99%、全年累計客流突破1000萬人次、全場累計銷售突破5.6億元、累計會員人數突破20萬人次的優異成績；位於廣州大道北梅花園地鐵站上蓋的信達金茂廣場·益田假日世界，規劃了運動潮玩、家庭配套、精緻生活、文娛體驗及人氣餐飲五大品質業態，其中首進廣州或首進商圈的品牌佔比同樣超過30%。

“過江龍”來勢洶洶，本土商管龍頭也集中“秀肌肉”。例如，越秀商管打造的ICC環貿天地於2021年國慶前亮相，這是天河北商圈時隔12年再迎全新商業綜合體，各大品牌“爭崩頭”搶位，多家華南首店、廣州首店扎堆進駐。

此外，張毅認爲，廣州得天獨厚的交通樞紐優勢，也是持續吸納首店的重要因素。據統計，廣州入境旅遊人數（含港澳臺居民）從2021年的164.77萬人次增長至2023年的377.41萬人次，規模在5個國際消費中心城市中排名第一。

文｜新快報記者 陸妍思譯｜ 趙凡英文審校｜ 鄒曉華