According to imcomplete statistics from Win Data, in the first quarter of this year, 46 brand first stores opened in major shopping malls in Shenzhen, covering a variety of sectors such as catering, fashion boutiques, beauty and fragrance, apparels, culture and art, leisure and entertainment. The total number of first stores increased by 58% compared with the same period in 2022. (“First store” refers to a brand’s initial brick-and-mortar shop.)

In terms of the distribution of the first stores, Nanshan and Futian districts emerge as the first choice destination for first stores, with 13 located in Nanshan District, 11 in Futian and 10 in Luohu.

According to the statistics, 34 new brands opened their first stores in South China and nationwide in the first quarter, including 17 first stores in other regions of China. It is worth mentioning that there are nine famous overseas retail brands from Italy, France, Japan and the United States that opened their first stores in Shenzhen.

The vast majority of businesses are located in shopping malls, with several restaurant brands preferring creative parks or neighborhoods. The MixC and The MixC World malls are the top locations with 17 first stores. Specifically, the legendary Italian perfume brand Santa Maria Novella and the luxury French skincare brand Biologique Recherche opened their first stores in South China at The MixC, designer collection store “hug” opened its new concept store at The MixC World, and bubble tea chain Naixue opened the country’s first Naixuechayuan at the O•POWER Culture and Art Center.