New Blood in the Business District: First-Store Economy Powers Qingdao Commerce
If a shopping mall were a person, the brands inside would be its lifeblood, continuously pumping vitality into it and crucial to its sustained development.
As a fast-emerging new first-tier city, Qingdao has seen rising demands from residents in both spending power and expectations, pushing malls to offer more diverse business formats, broader brand selections, and more comfortable shopping experiences.
With new malls springing up, renowned brands from various fields have set up shop in Qingdao. The 'first-store economy' has become a key piece in the competition among major shopping centers. So, which brands have recently joined the 'first-store battle' in Qingdao?
Children's Play Centers – Leban Baobei · Super Wings Experience Store
Since Fengkuang Leban launched its Super Wings IP-themed experience store last October, it has rolled out in cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Ningbo, attracting hundreds of thousands of regular users and rapidly becoming a rising star in China's children's playground scene.
The Fengkuang Leban · Super Wings Experience Store breaks away from traditional playground models by creating a smart playground with an internet-based new retail approach, dedicated to 'giving children a childhood worth remembering.'
The Super Wings IP license ensures a steady flow of fans, while innovations like digital marketing, seamless unmanned management, and a symbiotic partnership model make the store a frontrunner in the industry.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, a Leban Baobei · Super Wings Experience Store opened in Wanda Plaza, Sartu District, Daqing, Heilongjiang, and during the National Day holiday, another debuted in the Guorun Ji store in Xixian New District, Xi'an, both drawing huge crowds and becoming local hot topics.
Surprisingly, this trendy new children's playground had not yet entered Shandong Province. Recently, the Qingdao Jinmao Lanxiucheng's newly released leasing information listed the Fengkuang Leban · Super Wings Experience Store. As the first in Shandong, this child-focused venue is sure to bring significant foot traffic, creating a win-win scenario for both the brand and the mall.
High-Tech Products – HUAWEI MSC
As a Chinese tech giant, Huawei already has physical stores in nearly every mall, yet in recent years, it has moved beyond single-function outlets, innovating in sales formats and channels to deliver a more thoughtful and personalized consumer experience.
Driven by this vision, the HUAWEI MSC (Multiple Sales Center) experience store was born. This is a diversified sales hub and Huawei's new channel model—a direct-managed store. Goods are shipped straight from the factory to the store, bypassing traditional third-party distribution, giving customers a superior shopping experience.
Here, you can purchase the full range of Huawei products, and there are also accessory areas and lounge spaces. A professional team provides top-notch service, crafting a multi-sensory experience space that blends technology and art through sight, sound, and touch.
This innovative Huawei service platform, the HUAWEI MSC experience store, has already landed in cities like Haikou and Foshan. Soon, it will make its surprise debut in Qingdao Jinmao Lanxiucheng as the city's first MSC experience store, drawing legions of Huawei fans and tech enthusiasts to visit and explore.
Supermarkets – Lida Supermarket
Lida Group, a homegrown Qingdao brand, has grown considerably over the years, but far from resting on its laurels, it is actively transforming to meet the new challenges of consumer upgrades and technological innovation, seeking more sustainable growth.
After a series of changes, Lida Group transformed from a traditional department store operator into a shopping center developer. Beyond downtown Qingdao, it has expanded to the city's outskirts and Yantai, with many medium and large shopping centers and premium lifestyle supermarkets now operating smoothly in those areas.
Although its footprint covers most of Qingdao, the High-tech Zone—the city's recent development focus—remained blank for Lida Supermarket. The group prepared for this. In May this year, Lida Supermarket signed a contract with Qingdao Jinmao Lanxiucheng, located in the High-tech Zone, officially joining the brand alliance of the first Lanxiucheng in northern China and becoming another highlight of the mall.
Across Qingdao's commercial landscape, first stores have become a major promotional spotlight for shopping centers. High-quality first-store entries can draw greater foot traffic, inject new vitality, and become a 'winning formula' for many malls. In the future, those malls that take the lead in the 'first-store economy' will unleash even more energy and secure their place in the increasingly fierce competition.
As the northern debut of Jinmao's '5-year, 20-city' strategy, Qingdao Jinmao Lanxiucheng knows that brands are vital. At its leasing launch event on May 20 this year, it signed agreements with brands like Sesame Street English and Chow Tai Fook. Recently, a new batch of strong brands has joined, opening up endless possibilities for Lanxiucheng's future.
In just four months, the project has reached a leasing rate of over 30%, with first-in-Chengyang District brands accounting for 36% and first-in-Qingdao brands 75%. Leasing is still in full swing.
Showcasing all the city has and revealing life's unseen side, what other surprises will the first Lanxiucheng in the north bring? Let's wait and see.
