I had a debate with myself over what Chinese shopping complex in particular I should open this article with a description of — should I have chosen SM City Xiamen? “The traditional shopping mall isn't really cutting it anymore in China,” said Warner Brown of JLL. In this fray, traditional shopping centers clearly need to evolve or go extinct. Local markets and small shops began getting outcompeted by large, quasi-Soviet style department stores, throughout the 2000s department stores began giving way to shopping malls, and now shopping malls are transitioning into what is haphazardly dubbed lifestyle centers. According to a JLL study, only 10-15% of China’s current stock of shopping malls are international grade, allowing plenty of room for future upgrades.

Source: Forbes October 10, 2017 05:18 UTC