Foreign and domestic businesses opened a total of 145 new flagship stores at major shopping centers in Shenzhen in the January-September period, according to Winshang, an industry data provider.

The total number of first stores in the city increased by 107% year on year and 93% quarter on quarter, setting a new record for first stores opened in a single season since 2020. Nanshan District introduced 29 new stores in the third quarter.

According to Winshang, these new stores are all “first stores,” which means they are the first stores opened by these businesses in Shenzhen or in South China or even in China.

Shopping centers are the “preferred locations” for the businesses to open their first stores. In the third quarter, a total of 100 new stores were opened in Shenzhen’s key shopping centers, while the other 45 first stores were opened in other business complexes.

Out of the 145 new stores, 15 are first in China, 25 in South China and 102 in Shenzhen, signifying that the city has still retained its strong appeal to both foreign and domestic businesses, according to Winshang.

Data showed that a total of 58 international brands have opened their first stores in Shenzhen this year, which indicated Shenzhen’s global influence in fashion has further increased.

In the third quarter, Futian continued to lead the city with a total of 42 first stores, followed closely by Bao’an with 36. Nanshan came in third with 29, while Luohu, Longhua, Longgang and Guangming districts welcomed 15, 10, six and four new stores, respectively.