Since its debut in China in 2015, C-star, the official satellite show of EuroShop has been dedicated to presenting store solutions with design thinking. As store design gains increasing prominence, more and more exhibitors (in-store solution providers) are exploring upstream and downstream industries to provide one-stop solutions. Given this trend, the organizer has consolidated the conventional FIVE exhibiting dimensions into TWO – in-store design and in-store solutions, and upgrading the show brand from C-star into China in-store (Shanghai Int’l Trade Fair for In-store Design & Solutions). The show will increase the presence of design firms and high quality in-store solution providers from shop fitting to retail technology. This reinforces the design advantages of the show and brings more inspiration to retailers.

Alongside the show, a variety of special programs – Retail Stage, EuroShop RetailDesign Award China and VM Challenge will again bring insights, inspirations, exchange and experience to the industry.

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  • ERDA China 2022: highlight the most personalized Chinese store design!

    On Nov. 18, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. held the 2022 EuroShop RetailDesign Awards China (ERDA China) ceremony in Shanghai. The most compelling store concepts are X11 Global Flagship Store (Huaihai Road, Shanghai) by BloomDesign, Chinese Baijiu Pub by Cheil China, and (SO)What Chengdu by Various Associates. To select the winners from the 26 nominated works, the jury evaluated the successful interplay of store architecture, colours, materials, lighting and visual merchandising, the clear communication of product concepts as well as direct means of appealing to customers.         In addition, a business match making event was successfully held at the ERDA China dinner party. Around 90 representatives from retail brands, in-store design companies and in-store solution providers attended the event, and everyone was very satisfied with the opportunity to have face-to-face communication.         X11 Global Flagship Store (Huaihai Road, Shanghai) Designer:BloomDesign Brand:KK Group     X11 entrusted BloomDesign to conceive its first global flagship store, which sits on Huaihai Road — known as the most stylish commercial street in Shanghai. The new store quickly becomes a hot destination on Middle Huaihai Road and sets an example for the exploration and development of toy industry. Its immersive shopping experiences have attracted many young people in Shanghai. To create a story-telling and experiential space, the design team took "X Ark" as the theme, and adopted spatial narratives to tell a story that when the universe collapsed, a scene of "rebirth after doomsday" was actually reconstructed. "X Ark" is a refuge for beauty, a spiritual ark for Gen Z, a dream destination for the young, and a forward-looking, diverse and ideal ACGN world built on an apocalyptic wasteland.     The design team renovated the 5-storey facade of the building where the flagship store sits. By taking advantage of the large scale, the designers created a brand new 5-storey facade that consists of many "blind boxes". The facade also functions as a neat, orderly LED lighting wall to strengthen the visual identity of the store on the street, helping attract passers-by to explore inside. When the lighting fixtures are turned on at night, each luminous box forms distinct pixel patterns, well expressing the brand's attitude. In order to break the independence of the two floors of space and maximize the integrated brand experience, the floorslabs of the ground floor were removed to connect it with the underground floor, so as to extend the space downwards and make it more magnificent. After demolishing and stripping treatments, the existing reinforced concrete beams and columns are exposed and retained, thereby restoring original structures. After reconstruction, the silver matte stainless steel and exposed grey cement, complemented by lighting and multimedia device featuring a sense of technology, reveal a strong cyberpunk style and appear cooler, more trendy and futuristic.   Chinese Baijiu Pub Designer:Cheil China Brand:Chinese Baijiu     The main feature of Chinese Baijiu Pub is the combination of traditional and modern design, its traditional Chinese courtyard tribe and industrial laboratory does not look like the standard Chinese and Western kitsch in the bistro. In fact, the crust is close to high-end spaces, emulating ultra-luxury kitchens and trendy retail boutiques. Space sharp, minty and modern. In this restaurant, a custom designed pavilion lighthouse, inspired by Chinese Dunhuang architectural carriers and beautiful Dunhuang murals. It transports diners into a modern interpretation of the Chinese History Museum, a Pub that celebrates Chinese drinking culture and modern Chinese aesthetics.     In the process of interior decoration design, natural materials such as bamboo, stone and cement, as well as environmental protection integrated man-made panels are used as finishes. The use of natural materials plays an important role in the ecological benefits of green design concepts. Because people have been pursuing a more natural way of life, after the epidemic, people's yearning for natural life has become stronger and stronger.   (SO)What Chengdu Designer:Various Associates Brand:(SO)What Chengdu     Taking "Don't know, Don't care" as the core brand values, (SO)What advocates that every female can find her own dressing style in the boutique, and represents the unrestrained and independent characters of contemporary females. Drawing inspiration from the local profound play-watching culture, Various Associates took "Stage" as the design concept. The team maximized the unique site advantages to build a dynamic stage that integrates modern technology and dramatic tension, hoping to bring customers multi-sensory immersive spatial experiences.     As one of the most iconic fashion boutique stores in Chengdu, this project shows the unique culture of the city, and interprets the local cultural context through new approaches. The giant suspended rotating screens appear dramatic and incorporate modern technology, reminding customers of the long, profound play-watching culture in Chengdu. The square double-height facade is open, transparent and eye-catching, forming a favorable spatial relationship for optimizing the view and interaction. Based on the theme "stage", the spatial design explores multi-layer expressions and experiences. The rotating laminate panel weighing over 7 tons is suspended in the lightest manner under restricted conditions, thereby realizing a screen that can rotate 180 degrees horizontally and move vertically with electric control. Changing images on the large screen, background music, contrast of black and white tones, and the silver wrinkled accessory counter, all those elements promote the transition of spatial structures and circulations in line with the storyline of "stage", hence creating holistic, immersive experiences and ambience.   About ERDA China ERDA China (EuroShop RetailDesign Award China) is derived from ERDA which is one of the supporting programs of EuroShop Trade Fairs. ERDA is organized by Messe Düsseldorf GmbH and EHI since 2008 to award the most compelling store concepts from all candidates. A well-honed mix of store architecture, colours, materials, lighting and visual merchandising, the clear communication of the product range as well as direct means of appealing to customers are key criteria for the jury of experts.   As the Chinese retail industry has formed its own pattern with Chinese characteristics during its development, one set of criteria is no longer the optimal assessment for retail designs in both China and other countries, we establish ERDA China for the unique needs of the Chinese retail industry, and invite more domestic experts to join the jury and crown the outstanding store designs in China.

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    China in-store 2022 to Be Postponed

    In accordance with the local authority's current Covid-19 pandemic control restrictions, and in order to protect the health and safety of all participants, the organizer has taken the difficult decision to postpone China in-store 2022 (Shanghai Int’l Trade Fair for In-store Design & Solutions), originally scheduled from 31st August to 2nd September 2022 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The new dates and planning will be announced in the coming weeks.   China in-store will continue to remain in close contact with all partners, exhibitors and professional visitors by organizing online and offline networking activities such as EuroShop RetailDesign Award China, City Talk and others, in order to bring insights, inspirations and exchanges to the industry.   The organizer apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the postponement and looks forward to meeting you soon. For more information about China in-store, please follow China in-store LinkedIn or visit the official website: www.c-in-store.com/en

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    C-star Upgrading to “China in-store”, Accelerating Retailers’ Development in China

    Scenario-based consumer experience has become a winning formula for physical retail. Cyberstar stores have mushroomed, winning high foot traffic, spontaneous media exposure and investment capitals. At the center of their core competitiveness is scenario-based experience and lifestyle advocacy. Swarovski introduces the concept of an art museum with good sound and light effects in its new store in Chengdu. Huawei Authorized Experience Store Plus in Wuhan integrates more intelligent technology, more green ecology and more humanistic care to create an experience through time and space. Physical stores are no longer simply a sales channel in China, but a good place to communicate brand values, increase user stickiness and gain accurate customer sources. In this process, a unique and thoughtful store design concept and smart use of equipment and technology is the key to successful store presentation.   Since its debut in China in 2015, C-star, the official satellite show of EuroShop has been dedicated to presenting store solutions with design thinking. As store design gains increasing prominence, more and more exhibitors (in-store solution providers) are exploring upstream and downstream industries to provide one-stop solutions. Given this trend, the organizer has consolidated the conventional FIVE exhibiting dimensions into TWO – in-store design and in-store solutions, and upgrading the show brand from C-star into China in-store (Shanghai Int’l Trade Fair for In-store Design & Solutions). The show will increase the presence of design firms and high quality in-store solution providers from shop fitting to retail technology. This reinforces the design advantages of the show and brings more inspiration to retailers.   Mr. Marius Berlemann, General Manager of Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. said: "This transformation and upgrading is a prudent decision made after a comprehensive assessment of the Chinese retail environment. It is a reform in line with the times, and we look forward to China in-store bringing more power to the industry. "   Ms. Elke Moebius, Project Director EuroShop and EuroCIS commented: “EuroShop RetailDesign Award China, which has exclusively honored Chinese store design for the past two years, clearly shows the need for creative store design in China. And that is precisely why we are positioning China in-store in the direction of store design and the in-store solutions that go with it.”   Mr. Wang Yue, Managing Director of Changhong Architectural Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd. commented: "We very much support and look forward to the transformation. As the satellite show of EuroShop, China in-store has excellent international and domestic retail design resources. We are glad to see that the organizer will further develop store design and store architecture industry. Coincidentally, this is also what Changhong plans to do in the future!”   Nancy Gao, Business Development Manager of Futuristic Store Fixtures, also said: "We are looking forward to this transformation. The exhibition has accumulated a lot of high-quality retail brand buyers in the early stage, and there are almost no exhibitions of the same type in China. With the organizer further cultivating store design and shop fitting, I believe both exhibitors and visitors can find more accurate and comprehensive store solutions here."   China in-store 2022 will take place at Shanghai New International Expo Centre from 31st August to 2nd September 2022. Alongside the show, a variety of special programs will again bring insights, inspirations, exchange and experience to the industry. In addition to the show, a series of nationwide City Talks will be held in first-tier cities Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and second-tier cities Chengdu, Hangzhou and Changsha, exploring different store design concepts within different urban culture.   For more details of China in-store, please follow LinkedIn or visit the official website: www.c-in-store.com   

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    C-star 2021 Launches Two Awards to Crown Outstanding Chinese Designs and Leading Retail Technology

    C-star, Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail, is the official satellite event of EuroShop, the world's leading retail exhibition. Since its debut in China in 2015, the event has been successfully held for six editions. From August 31 to September 2, 2021, C-star is set to take place in Shanghai New International Expo Center. C-star 2021 will focus on five dimensions: Shop Fittings & Store Design, Visual Merchandising, Retail Lighting, Smart Retail Technology, and Retail Marketing, providing a one-stop purchase and communication platform for industry professionals to explore the cutting-edge retail design concept and smart retail technology solutions.   Visitor pre-registration is in full swing. C-star 2021 has attracted professional buyers from renowned retail brands including L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, METRO, Decathlon, KUKA HOME, Metersbonwe, Bestseller, LEDIN, HARMAY, Carrefour, M&G Stationery, Auchan, Huawei, Volkswagen, HEYTEA, Laiyifen, Pop Mart and so on.   One-click registration, free to enjoy five benefits: • Free entry to the show • One complementary show catalogue • Faster admission to avoid long queues • Free access to monthly exhibition news and industry news • Priority of participating C-star 2021 supporting programs     EuroShop RetailDesign Award China 2021 is now open for registration, crowning the best retail spaces in China C-star has always been renowned for its quality supporting programs. In addition to outstanding exhibition booths, there will be a wide range of special zones, forums, awards and competitions that await retail professionals to explore retail development trends.   EuroShop Retail Design Award China originates from Europe and is dedicated to recognizing the best store designs in China with an adapted evaluation system for the local market. In addition to the international jury, the award also engages domestic experts to help recognize outstanding Chinese designs, promoting international exchange and bringing Chinese designs to the world.   There will be three rounds of selection. First round will nominate 30 entries to receive four benefits, including promotion of work and VIP access to the gala dinner. Then, over 10 retail experts from China and overseas as well as 100 retailers from renowned retail brands will independently score the 30 entries. The three winning teams will receive award trophies, certificates, free exhibition booths, travel allowance for the award dinner, speaking opportunities at C-star Retail Stage, and feature interviews.   Click here for more details   retail technology award china is now open for registration, looking for promising smart retail technology applications China's retail industry is growing rapidly in the field of smart technology, and plays a leading role in the global retail market. To help further developing retail technology in China and expand its global reach, C-star has introduced the retail technology award china (reta china) from Europe, which is open to smart retail technology solutions in Chinese retail stores. The award will honor projects with outstanding achievements and high potential for development.   Eligible projects shall incorporate digital and intelligent information technologies that are applied in China and optimized for "people, goods, venue” with both software and hardware. The winners will receive award trophies, certificates, free exhibition booths, travel allowance for the award dinner, speaking opportunities at C-star 2021 H!Tech Stage, and feature interviews.   For more details about reta China, please contact Juliet.zhu@mds.cn.  

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    C-star 2021 is now open for visitor pre-registration. Are you ready to embark on the new retail journey?

    C-star, Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail, is the official satellite event of EuroShop, the world's leading retail exhibition. Since its debut in China in 2015, the event has been successfully held for six editions. C-star 2020 attracted 134 exhibitors and 9,006 professional visitors from around the world. Among them, 44% were retail brands and shopping malls. Exhibitors and visitors expressed satisfaction over the professionalism, effectiveness of business negotiations and the future trends that C-star presented.   From August 31 to September 2, 2021, C-star is set to take place in Shanghai New International Expo Center, providing a one-stop purchase and communication platform for industry professionals to explore the cutting-edge retail design concept and smart retail technology solutions.   To improve the one-stop sourcing and networking platform for retailers, C-star 2021 will re-define its five dimensions: Shop Fittings & Store Design, Visual Merchandising, Retail Lighting, Smart Retail Technology, and Retail Marketing.   Visitor pre-registration is now available. Click here for 5 special benefits: • Free entry to the show • One complementary show catalogue • Faster admission to avoid long queues • Free access to monthly exhibition news and industry news • Priority of participating C-star 2021 supporting programs   Top retail suppliers to come together for innovative retail solutions C-star 2021 is expected to welcome 150 leading providers of retail solutions. The following exhibitors have confirmed their participation: Shop furnishing: Shanghai Longsun Building Material Co., Ltd, Hangzhou Aotroth Exhibition Commercial Co., Ltd., Shanghai b&m Wallcoverings Co., Ltd, Changzhou Lintel Portable Display Solution Co., Ltd, Sate-Lite (Foshan) Plastics Co., Ltd., Xiamen Neu Craft Co., Ltd, etc. Store solutions: Futuristic Store Fixtures Pte Ltd, Changhong Building Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd., etc.; Retail technology: Hangzhou Zkong Network Co., Ltd, Shanghai Lianbai Electronics Co., Ltd, XOVIS, etc. Retail lighting solutions: Vianolix Lighting Co., Ltd., Self Electronics Co., Ltd, Guangzhou Youguang Opto Electronics Co., Ltd., Dongguan Wufeng Electronics Co., Ltd, Dongguan Tiansheng Electronic Products Co., Ltd, etc.   A wide range of concurrent events and tailored matchmaking events create great business opportunities C-star has always been renowned for its quality supporting programs. In addition to outstanding exhibition booths, there will be a wide range of special zones, forums and competitions that await retail professionals to explore retail development trends.   The special zone of Designer Village will continue to offer unique booth designs and business networking opportunities for top designers, whilst the ReTailor Hub will once again work with emerging retail brands to create design and technology-inspired pop-up stores.   As for forums, the Retail Stage will bring together retail brands, shopping mall executives and experts to cast light on the development trends of the industry. The H!Tech Stage will focus on smart retail technology and invite renowned technology companies to share their insights. As a key exhibition area of C-star 2021, Retail Lighting will be upgraded with the addition of Lighting Stage, where industry media outlets, designers, retailers and professionals from interior, lighting, engineering and architecture sectors meet and discuss how lighting can empower retail space design.   The EuroShop RetailDesign Award China (ERDA China), which made its debut appearance in 2020, will once again deliver on its mission to crown the most outstanding retail shop designs in China. The VM Challenge will also expand to a wider range of sectors, with competitions taking place on the show floor to name the best window displays that enchant people with storytelling. In addition, C-star will introduce reta China from Europe, which is dedicated to awarding innovative technology solutions that have demonstrated outstanding results or potential for development in the retail industry. The award is designed to drive development of retail technologies.   As another highlight of C-star, the tailored matchmaking events will provide more extensive coverage, accurate matching and professional services, helping exhibitors communicate with potential buyers one-on-one to explore business opportunities. C-star 2020 hosted a total of 310 one-on-one business matchmaking sessions, with visitor satisfaction rate reaching 96%.   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star LinkedIn.  

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    Retail technology – digital interactive community solutions

    Cologne/Düsseldorf, 8 March 2021   For the 14th time, EHI has chosen the winners of the retail technology awards (reta). The winners will be announced today by video. The awards have already been accepted by the companies with the best concepts for implementing technology in retailing, who will present their projects on 15 March as part of the digital event)*. Three equal-ranking prize winners accepted the award in each of the five categories. Awards have also been presented for the first time in the new category “Best AI and Robotics Application”. The technology partners are each awarded the title of “Top Supplier Retail”.   Category: Best Customer Experience This award is given to retailers who have introduced forward-looking methods and technologies for improving customer retention and customer satisfaction. Our prize winners:   Küchenquelle relies on modern Mixed Reality (MR) technology for kitchen purchasing advice. Since fall 2020, küchenquelle has been planning customized kitchens at customers' homes throughout Germany with Microsoft HoloLens 2 and using the .rooms by Island Labs software, a holographic sketching and visualization platform. Customers experience a 1:1 visualization of their planned kitchen, which they can see and walk through. This gives them the greatest possible certainty in their purchasing decision.   Breuninger has implemented a comprehensive omnichannel concept in its flagshipstore in Nuremberg. Customers can use digital touchpoints to access information and tips. Smart stations provide information about product availability, and they display sizes and product variants on sale in other stores. The concept also includes fitting rooms which feature digital technology, digital pillars to help customers find their way around the store, digital LED walls, a click-and-collect service and the opportunity to book online appointments for consultations, the tailoring service or the beauty department. The project was carried out together with technology partners MuSe Content and 3d-berlin vr solutions.   Food retailer Tegut continues to pursue its strategy of embracing self-service with its innovative convenience store “tegut… teo”. Thanks to smart technology, the shop requires no staff and shopping can be carried out around the clock. The first mini shop in Fulda, with a retail space of 50sqm, is designed to function as a local shop and offers 950 products in the form of everyday essentials. Customers can enter the shop 24/7 using an app with an entry code or their bank or credit card. Purchases can be made via app or using the payment terminal. The companies Wanzl, design for human nature and snabble are involved in developing the format.   Category: Best Enterprise Solution In this category, retail enterprises are singled out which have enhanced their efficiency by developing and implementing innovative systems and technologies. Our prize winners:   BabyOne has introduced an internal e-learning platform for its employees. They can use the platform, which was initiated with Qualitize, to create and upload videos, create wish lists, request information, mark favourites, comment on posts or react using emoticons. In doing so, BabyOne is creating a lively community for its employees, especially those working on the shop floor, where members inform, motivate and inspire one another.   E.Leclerc has created a platform for exchanging data with suppliers. This required the digitisation of data from thousands of suppliers across all industries – including those industries which had not yet joined the digital revolution. The suppliers can use the platform to provide regularly updated information on their products and prices. This information is then gathered by the platform and made available on E.Leclerc’s website, as well as in outlets and warehouses. A range of functions enable suppliers to, for example, expand upon the nutritional information of their products and to share this with the retailer directly. The project was carried out together with Alkemics.   Fressnapf has introduced the smart assistant “MIA” in its stores, providing the staff working in these stores with access to all customer data. MIA also provides support with managing tasks in-store. For example, the task management solution provides assistance when it comes to sorting products which are past their use-by or best-before dates. In each store, the use-by or best-before date of each individual product is stored digitally. MIA automatically communicates the tasks which need to be done. This means that both the stores themselves and the company’s headquarters have an overview of all products which are about to expire.   Category: Best In-store Solution Retailers who demonstrably have achieved operational value added through the use of technology at the POS proved themselves in this category. Our prize winners:   The Rewe subsidiary BILLA / MERKUR is implementing an automated smart shelf solution from Bizerba in its Austrian supermarkets. It is able to monitor shelf inventories to the gram and centimetre in real time using integrated weight sensors and a smart algorithm which calculates the exact point on the shelf from which a product has been removed, thus identifying the product itself. This means that staff no longer need to carry out a visual inspection of the goods. Inventory levels were able to be reduced considerably as a result of introducing the system. What’s more, this also led to an improvement in internal processes within the supermarket chain.   Edeka Oertwig has installed two smart-scanner and POS systems in addition to the four conventional checkout counters in its Henstedt-Ulzburg store, which opened in March 2020. The smart POS systems, called ScanMate, have two checkout points and two packing zones. Employees no longer have to scan the goods by hand. The exception is only when the code is hard to read or when fruits or vegetables have to be weighed. The 360° barcode scanner stops the belts if the code on an item cannot be read automatically. The system can handle 102 customers per hour with baskets holding an average of 15 articles. Scales and cash management machines can be integrated optionally. The project was implemented in collaboration with ITAB Germany and Glory.   The Rohan Pharmacy has equipped its main outlet in the southern German town of Ettenheim with digital shelf labels that are linked to high-tech shelf cameras, the POS system and the warehouse logistics system. The company uses a total of some 1,100 digital shelf labels. Four cameras automatically report when articles have to be restocked. The supplier for this project is SES-imagotag Germany.   Category: Best Connected Retail Solution This award (formerly for the category Best Omnichannel Solution) is given to retail enterprises that have modernised their IT infrastructure and connected the online and offline worlds with each other. Our prize winners:   The sporting goods store INTERSPORT is continuing its digital transformation on the French market and linking its e-commerce website with the stores. In France the group has implemented OMS OneStock, an omnichannel solution offered by service provider OneStock. This tool unifies the stores’ inventories and enables the company to offer about 90 percent of its product range on its website intersport.fr for sale in stores and by mail order.   ROSE Bikes has implemented a scalable omnichannel solution in cooperation with ROQQIO Commerce Solutions. The central element of its future IT architecture is the Roqqio Commerce Cloud, which connects the various systems like webshop and manufacturing ERP, enabling scalable omnichannel order management. The bicycle dealer’s brick-and-mortar stores use POS solutions like checkout counters and in-store apps with self-checkout. Rose Bikes aims to offer its customers a seamless omnichannel journey.   The Salling Group has implemented a new e-commerce structure based on advanced UX, headless commerce (Commercetools), headless CMS (Magnolia), microservices and APIs. In the process it has restructured its software. With this solution each chain can use the same system to define its own online presence and content, optimised for mobile devices.   Category: Best AI & Robotics Application This is the first year in which prizes in this category are being awarded. They are going to retail enterprises that have simplified, accelerated or automated their processes by implementing solutions based on artificial intelligence and robotics.   In collaboration with Diebold Nixdorf and Checklens, Ikea has developed an AI-based system that automatically detects scanning errors at SCO terminals. A smart camera above the self-checkout area identifies each product and notifies the customer via the POS software if a product was not scanned. The system can currently identify more than 15,000 Ikea products.   MediaMarktSaturn, together with Retresco, has introduced an intelligent software-as-a-service solution that automatically generates texts from technical product attributes. The online stores of MediaMarkt and Saturn have approximately 350,000 products. Every week several thousand new products are listed and not every manufacturer provides detailed product descriptions for their products. The NLG solution textengine.io has already generated more than 500,000 unique texts, which the retailer displays on the respective product pages in its e-commerce solutions.   The fruit and vegetable retailer SanLucar Obst & Gemüse Handel has cooperated with the Austrian digitalisation expert Barcotec to develop a smart refrigerator that ensures sufficient supplies of fresh convenience products for customers. Using real-time data from RFID chips, it facilitates accurate production planning by reporting problems such as products that have run out. According to the company, each refrigerator behaves like an autonomous sales stall. For example, it can make sure that it is filled with more melons in hot summer weather and can call for reduced production when bad weather is predicted.   *) The winning companies will present their ideas at the EHI Innovation Days, powered by EuroCIS, starting on 15 March at 2:00 pm. Free registration for the live stream is possible here. The event will be held in English. Afterwards a networking opportunity will be offered via the wonder.me platform.   Note to the editors: Further information about the prize winners: www.reta-europe.com Apply now for the 2022 reta awards at www.reta-europe.com     About EHI EHI is a research, training and consultancy institute for the retail industry and its partners. It has some 80 employees. The international EHI network encompasses some 800 member companies from the retail business and the consumer goods and capital goods industries. EHI was founded in 1951. President is Kurt Jox, the Managing Director is Michael Gerling. GS1 Germany, a joint subsidiary of EHI (50%) and Markenverband (the Brand Association, 50%), coordinates the assignment of Global Trading Item Number (GTIN, formerly EAN) in Germany. In cooperation with EHI, Messe Düsseldorf organises EuroShop, the world’s leading capital goods fair for the retail business, and EuroCIS, where the latest products, solutions and trends in IT and security technology are presented as well as C-star for the Asian retail market.

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    C-star 2021 Fully Launches with Five New Dimensions and Richer Supporting Programmes

    From August 31 to September 2, 2021, C-star is set to take place in Shanghai New International Expo Center, providing a one-stop purchase and communication platform for industry professionals to explore the cutting-edge retail design concept and smart retail technology solutions.   C-star, Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail, is the official satellite event of EuroShop, the world's leading retail exhibition. Since its debut in China in 2015, the event has been successfully held for six editions. C-star 2020 attracted 134 exhibitors and 9,006 professional visitors from around the world. Among them, 44% were retail brands and shopping malls. Exhibitors and visitors expressed satisfaction over the professionalism, effectiveness of business negotiations and the future trends that C-star presented.     To improve the one-stop sourcing and networking platform for retailers, C-star 2021 will re-define its five dimensions: Shop Fittings & Store Design, Visual Merchandising, Retail Lighting, Smart Retail Technology, and Retail Marketing.   Another addition to high-quality supporting programmes with unlimited business opportunities C-star has always been renowned for its quality concurrent events. In addition to excellent exhibitors, a wide range of special zones, forums and competitions await retailers to explore the future develop trends.   The special zone of Designer Village will continue to offer unique booth designs and business networking opportunities for top designers, while the ReTailor Hub will once again work with emerging retail brands to create design and technology-inspired pop-up stores. As for forums, the Retail Stage will bring together retail brands, shopping mall executives and experts to cast light on the development trends of the industry. The H!Tech Stage will focus on smart retail technology and invite renowned technology companies to share their insights. The EuroShop RetailDesign Award China (ERDA China), which made its debut in 2020, will once again deliver on its mission to crown the most outstanding retail store designs in China. The VM Challenge will also expand its sectors to a wider range, with competitions taking place onsite to name the best window displays that enchant people with storytelling. In addition, C-star will introduce a new award, reta china, which is derived from reta europe, one of EuroShop's concurrent events. It is dedicated to awarding innovative technology solutions that have demonstrated outstanding results or potential for development in the retail industry and to drive development of smart retail technologies.   Enlarge exhibitors' high-end client database through customized matchmaking program As one of the C-star highlights, free customized matchmaking service will be provided continuesly by C-star 2021. To facilitate in-depth communication between exhibitors and potential buyers, C-star has set up a dedicated team to provide this service to VIP buyers from fashion and apparel retail, shopping mall, department store, supermarket, boutique store, etc. Through calls, emails and WeChat, the team can gain a clear picture of procurement needs of those buyers, and recommend appropriate exhibitors and arrange one-on-one personalized reception for them.   C-star 2020 invited a total of 13 VIP buyer groups and completed 310 one-on-one business matchmaking sessions with a high satisfaction rate of 96%. C-star 2021 will join hands with leading media for wider coverage, so as to explore more target clients for exhibitors.   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star LinkedIn as follows or visit the official website: http://www.c-star-expo.com/en/.

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    C-star 2020 Concluded Successfully, Chinese Retail Sector is Regaining Vitality

    C-star - Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends All about Retail, member of  EuroShop Trade fairs family, has grown rapidly since its debut in 2015 and has become a major influential platform in the retail industry across China.   C-star 2020 was successfully held on September 2-4th, 2020 at Shanghai New International Expo Center. During three successful days, C-star welcomed 134 exhibitors and 9,006 professional visitors.   Marius Berlemann, General Manager of Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai Co., Ltd commented: “Chinese retail industry has gone through a huge transformation due to COVID-19 in just few months. It is the right time for us to think how to prepare for the next boom. I am very pleased that C-star is one of the first trade fairs to take off again, displaying new trends of the retail industry, providing a communication platform for retailers and showcasing everything for real stores under one roof.”   Ms. Elke Moebius, Project Director of Retail & Retail Technologies of Messe Düsseldorf, subjoined: “The impact of COVID-19 on the international trade fair industry is immense, while in many countries there is now a sense of optimism again, especially here in China. I am so happy that C-star can be held as scheduled, the show result proves that C-star is a high-quality business platform for retailers and retail solution providers.”   Both exhibitors and visitors impressed by trade fair high quality C-star 2020 continually features the inspiring and new solutions in Shopfittings and Shop Furnishings, Store Design & Visual Merchandising, Smart Retail Technology, Lighting, Catering Hospitality Equipment and Refrigeration System. Both exhibitors and visitors were very satisfied with the professionalism, networking opportunities and multiple chances to conveniently gather information and meet the right people along with the high quality of solutions offered to retailers.   “It is the third time that we have participated in C-star, and we also participated in EuroShop 2020 this February. C-star can help to develop our business and also bring us a lot of premium clients. We are very satisfied with the exhibition results.” stated by Yvonne Tian, Marketing Director of LRC.   Visitors were also inspired by the innovations seen at the fair. Mr. Chongbin Zhu, Senior Space Design from ERKE commented: “This year the epidemic has much affected many industries, especially for us who are running apparel retail. But I do believe it won't last long. As chances always come with crisis. During C-star 2020 I have seen many shop solutions manufacturers which are very helpful for us to reform and upgrade.”   Upgraded supporting programmes present the future of retail C-star has always been committed to creating a sophisticated and premium retail trade fair. In addition to quality exhibitors, the exciting supporting programmes are highlights of C-star 2020.   C-star and China Commerce Association for General Merchandise (CCAGM) co-organized 2020 C-star Retail Stage under the theme “Rebound, Reboot, Reinvent”, inviting speakers from leading retail brands, shopping mall executives and academic experts to share insights and explore core values of retail business.   Leiqi YU, Senior Director of Design and Planning, JD 7FRESH commented: “I have gained a lot from participating in C-star Retail Stage. Chinese retail industry is developing to online and offline integration and providing better and better consumer experiences. Through C-star Retail Stage, we can share how JD 7FRESH will realize the complete integration of online and offline, and know the opinions from other industry leaders.”   ReTailor Hub, an event brand of C-star, built an S.Engine Café on-site with smart retail technologies such as EPSON Lightscene EV-100 Series, Hanshow digital signage, and VvCar AI-Holographic Window, all for a new and out-of-the-box customer experience. Besides, Cloudpick Technology also created an unmanned grab-and-go store with AI vision which disrupts conventional consumption patterns.   Furthermore, two competitions attracted much attention. EuroShop RetailDesign Award China (ERDA China) is derived from EuroShop RetailDesign Award (ERDA) which is one of the supporting programs of EuroShop Trade Fairs and crown the outstanding store designs in China. The three winners are Tong Ren Tang Zhima Health Concept Store, Nike SH 001 - E.A.R.L Adapt BB, HEYTEA LAB (Shenzhen OCT Harbor Store).   VM Challenge 2020 was held by C-star and Shop! Greater China to highlight the importance of window display. Three professional teams and three student teams create themed shop window designs live onsite for PINKO, an Italian fashion brand.   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star LinkedIn as follows or visit the official website: http://www.c-star-expo.com/en/

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    Time to shine: the new C-star 2020 coming soon in Shanghai

    Three special zones for design, equipment, and technology, all in one place As the retail industry evolves rapidly, C-star 2020 works to expand its portfolio once again by launching three special zones with upgraded features. The ReTailor Hub, H!Tech Hub, and Designer Village provide a platform for retail solution providers and retailers to make business and exchange ideas.   ReTailor Hub, as a brand event of C-star, will create an S.Engine Café on-site with smart retail technologies such as EPSON technology, Hanshow digital signage, and Colorfuls front-projected holographic display, all for a new and out-of-the-box customer experience. In the special zone, Cloudpick Technology will also apply its rich experience and cutting-edge technology to creating an unmanned grab-and-go store with AI vision that disrupts conventional consumption patterns.   The H!Tech Hub will make its debut at C-star 2020. It brings together renowned companies of retail technology such as SUNMI, cloudpick, T-Scale, Kiton, CCL Tech, Koscar, and Zkong. In addition to showcasing cutting-edge technologies, the exhibitors will also give presentations at the H!Tech Stage in the central area to share future development trend of retail technologies.   The Designer Village brings together unique booth designs by many outstanding design firms as well as the 30 finalist projects of the EuroShop Retail Design Award China for display, highlighting the strength of Chinese design.   supporting programmes to share future retail trends from multiple topics and perspectives C-star has always been committed to creating a sophisticated and premium retail trade fair. In addition to quality exhibitors, the extensive supporting programmes have been a major highlight of this highly acclaimed show.   Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the retail sector is facing new challenges as well as opportunities. Considering the situation, C-star and China Commerce Association for General Merchandise (CCAGM) will co-host the C-star Retail Stage with participation from leading retail brands, shopping mall executives and academic experts to share insights and explore core values of retail business.   In addition to the C-star Retail Stage, C-star 2020 will set up the H!Tech Stage to explore advanced technologies and development trends in the field of smart retail technology. The stage will invite renowned technology companies and industry professionals to share their views.   C-star also works with Retail Observation to launch the 2020 Store Upgrade and Design Open Course to help supermarkets solve challenges in store upgrade with a clear focus on key points, difficulties, and solutions.   In parallel with the exciting forum, two major competitions are attracting much attention. The EuroShop RetailDesign Award China has started its general jury and public and expert jury assessment process. The final winners will be announced at the award dinner gala on September 2nd. The inaugural VM Challenge 2020 is currently in the selection phase, and the selected teams will have four hours on-site to create a themed shop window design for PINKO, an Italian fashion brand. Behold as the competitions reveal the final winners.   Two-week countdown to visitor pre-registration: seize the opportunity and embrace the next retail boom Visitor pre-registration is now open and the countdown is on. Click   https://www.c-star-expo.com/links?id=358 to pre-register and receive your free ticket and catalogue, and enjoy priority registration for the exciting supporting programmes.   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star LinkedIn as follows.    

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    C-star 2020 concurrent activities have been upgraded again, presenting the future retail development trends in multiple forms and dimensions

    The 6th Shanghai’s International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail (C-star 2020) will take place on September 2-4 at Hall N1 of the Shanghai New International Expo Center, once again featuring five dimensions: Shop Fittings and Furnishings, Store Design and Visual Merchandising, Smart Retail Technology, Lighting, Catering, Hospitality Equipment and Refrigeration System. A series of exciting supporting programmes will also be held during the event to enrich its content and jointly create a world-class technology and business communication platform for retailers and retail solution providers.   Due to the pandemic, it is still inconvenient for overseas visitors to travel to China. In order to meet the export needs of exhibitors and the procurement needs of overseas visitors, we will launch C-star 2020 Online Show at the same time as the offline trade fair, providing exhibitors and overseas visitors with a free exhibition and communication platform. Through C-star 2020 Online Show, visitors can communicate with exhibitors online and watch the live broadcast of Retail Stage and VM Challenge 2020 for free.   Click https://www.c-star-expo.com/links?id=339 for free ticket.   C-star 2020 brings leading exhibitors to retailers This event will bring together more than 150 well-known exhibitors to showcase unique design concepts and advanced retail technologies. A number of exhibitors have confirmed that they will present the latest products and innovative solutions at C-star 2020, including those specializing in shop fittings and furnishings such as Changhong, ShanYang, Futuristic, Dunli, Longshang and Redman Retail; those providing professional services for store design and visual merchandising such as  Lichuang Union,Epson,CM Design and Candex Displays; those with cutting-edge smart retail technology such as SUNMI, Cloudpick, CCL Tech and Kiton Tech; as well as well-known lighting equipment companies such as Vianolux, Huayuemei, SELF Electronics, CDN, LVSUNNY, CITYLUX and Slighton.   For more information on exhibitors, please visit the online exhibition hall on the official C-star website.   VM Challenge 2020 | Who is the best storyteller In order to highlight the importance of window, C-star and Shop! have joined forces to host VM Challenge 2020. As the brand sponsor, PINKO will set the theme of the competition and provide its products as window design props. Each participanting group will present their own ingenuity onsite within four hours.   The competition will be held on September 2-3 on the fair ground. The first day will be the professional group competition, and the next day will be the student group competition.   30 nominees of EuroShop RetailDesign Award China 2020 have come out The EuroShop RetailDesign Award China is an extension of the EuroShop Retail Design Award, which is one of the concurrent activities of the EuroShop Trade Fairs series. For the EuroShop RetailDesign Award China 2020, 57 proposals were submitted, 30 nominees reached the final two rounds.   The shortlisted works will enjoy such exposure as promotions through the online channels of C-star and on-site poster wall displayed at the venue. At the same time, shortlisted applicants will be invited to participate the award ceremony on the evening of September 2 to exchange ideas with well-known retail brands and designers.   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star LinkedIn as follows or visit the official website: http://www.c-star-expo.com/en/     - End–   Press Contact: Ms. Laura liu  Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Tel: +86-21-6169 8336 Fax: +86-21-6169 8301 Laura.liu@mds.cn www.mds.cn   Organizers background information Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) established in 2009, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) is a subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, one of the world’s top exhibition organizers. MDS is committed to introducing industry leading trade fairs to China and providing Chinese and international customers with superior exhibition services. MDS is successfully holding 14 leading trade fairs and conferences in China, covering a broad range of industries including printing, packaging, wire and tube, plastics, medical devices, retail, safety and health, wine & spirits and caravanning. With a workforce of 70+ fulltime employees, the company’s head office is located in Shanghai with a branch office in Beijing. For more information about MDS, please visit www.mds.cn.

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    China's retail industry starts post-epidemic recovery on all fronts

    According to the latest world economic outlook by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), global growth in 2020 is projected to fall by 3 percent. For this year, growth in advanced economies is projected at -6.1 percent. Specifically, growth will drop by 5.9% in the United States and 7.1% in the European Union. Emerging market and developing economies are also projected to have negative growth rates of -1.0 percent in 2020. The forecast for China's economic growth is positive 1 percent. As economies around the world are hard hit by Covid-19 outbreak, China continues to consolidate and grow its global economic share and position despite all adversities.   At present, China's retail industry gradually regains its vitality as Covid-19 outbreak is brought under control across the country. According to the 2nd issue of the "Survey and Report on Resumption of Work and Production in the Retail Industry" by the China Commerce Association for General Merchandise (CCAGM), as of April 13, 96% of the surveyed enterprises have resumed 90% normal work, and 46% of them have restored 60-70% of normal sales. On March 2, Jinan handed out vouchers worth 20 million yuan to stimulate spending on tourism and culture. Cities in Zhejiang, Shandong and Jiangsu followed suit, with some distributing vouchers worth over 100 million yuan. On April 19, Wuhan launched a 2.3-billion-yuan voucher campaign to support local businesses and drive online and offline consumption.   Covid-19 pandemic accelerates digital transformation and gives rise to smart retail technology   It is worth noting that the recovery in retail sales is significantly faster than that of passenger traffic. This is largely due to the developed online retail. Covid-19 pandemic has pressed the “speed up button" for the transformation of offline retailers. Brands are increasingly using digital tools to attract and connect with consumers for commercial outcome.   Smart retail technology has always been an emerging segment of the industry, and one of five dimensions of C-star over the years. C-star 2020 will be held from September 2-4 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, bringing together specialized service providers including Xovis, Koscar, Sunmi, Cloud Pick, DB Scale, Keewin, T-scale, Kiton, TSD, Adelante, CCL Tech, who focus on cutting-edge smart retail technology, to provide outstanding corporate solutions for online and offline integration.   Time to book your booth at C-star 2020 before it’s too late. Visitor pre-registration is in full swing   C-star 2020 will continue focus on the inspiring and new solutions in Shopfittings and Shop Furnishings, Store Design & Visual Merchandising, Smart Retail Technology, Lighting, Catering Hospitality Equipment and Refrigeration System, builds up a great business platform for retail solution providers and retailers across the globe.   As of now, 95% of the booths have been sold out. C-star 2020 is expected to welcome 200+ high-quality retail solution providers, including Futuristic, Changhong, Longsun, Yongcheng, Epson, Shangyoung, Sunmi, Cloud Pick, Lvsunny, Self, Candex, Ganter, Xovis, etc., and they will exhibit the latest and most practical equipment and technology on site. In addition, the two special zones – Designer Village and H!Tech Hub – will showcase disruptive innovations in design concepts and world-leading retail technologies.   Visitor pre-registration is in full swing. Click here or scan the QR code below to register with one click. A pre-registered visitor will get a free ticket and a complementary show catalogue, can also skip the admission line with the pre-registration code, and will be given priority to participate in exciting supporting programmes.     EuroShop RetailDesign Award China is looking for general jury candidates   EuroShop RetailDesign Award China (ERDA China) originates from Europe and is dedicated to recognizing the best store designs in China. There will be three rounds of assessment. The shortlist from the first round will be judged by a panel of 100 general jury members, followed by a third round of assessment by 10 retail experts from China and abroad. Three winners will be selected at the end of the process.   General jury is now open for application. If you are a senior manager from a brand company, shopping mall, or consultancy with unique insights into retail store design and consumer needs, please click here or scan the QR code to submit your application and join the general jury.     We will contact you promptly to confirm your participation and issue you a letter of appointment, C-star VIP visitor pass and invitation to the ERDA China ceremony. We look forward to your participation!   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star LinkedIn as follows.    

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    EuroShop 2020 Is Successfully Concluded, C-star 2020 Now Takes the Center Stage

    The successfully concluded EuroShop leads the global retail industry into the future   The World’s No.1 Retail Trade Fair, EuroShop 2020, drew to a close on Thursday (20 February 2020) after five successful days in Düsseldorf: 2,300 exhibitors from 57 nations reported of very good leads and concluded business deals. Furthermore, lively follow-up business is expected. 94,000 visitors from 142 countries travelled to the Rhine to gather information on the line-up of products, trends and concepts for retailers and their partners featured in 16 exhibition halls.      Exhibitors underlined the high level of expertise among visitors at the event, especially their pronounced decision-making powers, because 70% of the trade fair guests were in international top management. Many of them also used their visit to EuroShop to learn about best practice cases and forward-looking trends in retail at the in total eight Stages. Numbers speak for themselves here: 96% of trade fair visitors were satisfied with their visit to the trade fair. The next EuroShop will be held in Düsseldorf from 26 February to 2 March 2023.   Booths of C-star 2020 are about to be sold out, and visitor pre-registration has been officially opened   As the official satellite event of EuroShop, C -star 2020 now takes the center stage. It will be held from September 2-4, 2020 at Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC), featuring the inspiring and new solutions in Shopfittings and Shop Furnishings, Store Design & Visual Merchandising, Smart Retail Technology, Lighting, Catering Hospitality Equipment and Refrigeration System, builds up a great business platform for retail solution providers and retailers across the globe.   As of now, 90% of the booths have been sold out. C-star 2020 is expected to welcome 200+ high-quality retail solution providers, including Futuristic, Changhong, Longsun, Yongcheng, Epson, Shangyoung, Sunmi, Lvsunny, Self, Candex, Ganter, Xovis, etc., and they will exhibit the latest and most practical equipment and technology on site. In addition, the two special zones – Designer Village and H!Tech Hub which will be unveiled first time – will showcase disruptive innovations in design concepts and world-leading retail technologies.     The visitor pre-registration has been officially opened now. Click here or scan the QR code below to register with one click. A pre-registered visitor will get a free ticket and a complementary show catalogue, can also skip the admission line with the pre-registration code, and will be given priority to participate in exciting supporting programmes.     Another supporting programme is added to recognize outstanding Chinese designs   C-star has always been committed to building a multi-module trade fair model. The event is further enriched by a series of exciting supporting programmes with various themes and formats to help retailers understand the future development trends, create a high-quality communication and networking platform, and promote the development of the retail industry. In addition to the well-received C-star Retail Forum and ReTailor Hub, this year we will also establish the EuroShop RetailDesign Award China (ERDA China) based on the EuroShop RetailDesign Award (ERDA). As the Chinese retail industry has formed its own pattern with Chinese characteristics during its development, one set of criteria is no longer the optimal assessment for retail designs in both China and other countries, so we establish ERDA China for the unique needs of the Chinese retail industry, and invite more domestic experts to join the jury and crown the outstanding store designs in China. The awardees will be invited as guest speakers to give a 30-minute speech each at the C-star Retail Forum, receive free round-trip plane tickets and accommodations to visit EuroShop/EuroCIS in Germany from organizer, and the award-winning designs will directly enter the final round of selection for ERDA.     At the same time, H!Tech Hub, which will be unveiled at C-star, will present innovative technology through future retail technology demonstration and the product experience zone. We will also partner with leading media in various fields to organize multiple salons and training events with different topics during C-star 2020.   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star LinkedIn  

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    ERDA 2020: Shopping in Dumbledore’s collection

    Cologne/Düsseldorf, 17 February 2020    EHI and Messe Düsseldorf presented the EuroShop RetailDesign Awards 2020 (ERDA) at EuroShop in Düsseldorf yesterday. The most compelling store concepts came from Switzerland, Spain and Great Britain: Fooby Lausanne Bel-Air in Lausanne, Spar Market Puerto Rico in Mogán (Gran Canaria), and The Making of Harry Potter in Leavesden. To select the winners from among the 73 competitors from 22 countries, the jury evaluated the successful interplay of store architecture, colours, materials, lighting and visual merchandising as well as the implementation of a clear message about the product range and a direct appeal to customers.   Fooby Lausanne Bel-Air, Lausanne: A theatre of the senses Swiss cooperative Coop’s online food community has its own 1,000-sqm store now: Fooby Lausanne. A former theatre serves as a continuation of the online platform in the form of a store, and it sets the stage for high-quality regional and sustainably produced products. The food can be experienced with all five senses. Across all three floors, experts give advice and offer culinary highlights – the concept store is a convenience shop and manufactory rolled into one. The materials concept supports the Fooby brand in terms of both form and colour and flawlessly harmonises with the historical architecture. Black, white and real wood form the foundation and set the stage for the products. The majority of the frames, shelves, tables, racks and panelling/trim are made of light-coloured wood which best reflects the freshness, liveliness and warmth of Fooby. White and green tiling represents artisanal production, sustainability and health.   Spar Market Puerto Rico, Mogàn: Traditional market meets modern retail store The new Spar store occupies a 2,000-sqm space with a large range of products that features fresh regional products in particular. The atmosphere of a traditional market is skilfully combined with that of a modern retail store. The company’s characteristic colours, combined with black and warm materials like wood, create a modern look and highlight individual departments. At the heart of the supermarket are refrigerated walk-in rooms for beer, wine and cheese, which are also used to offer tastings. Graphically understated, illuminated lettering above the individual rooms helps customers orientate themselves. Suspended ceilings, such as a green light installation on the beer room’s ceiling, as well as illustrations on the walls and glass doors provide an interesting decorative backdrop for the products.   The Making of Harry Potter, Leavesden: The magical interior of Hogwarts “The Making of Harry Potter” takes full advantage of the magical ambience of the world-famous school for witchcraft and wizardry. The area featuring shops and cafés in the Warner Bros. Studios comprises 836 sqm. Original film sets, a mix of colours, film props and antiques create an authentic, direct experience for visitors to the store. The “Dark Arts” area with its nearly 5-metre-high original glass window from the film, the wand shop inspired by Garrick Ollivander’s shop, world-famous school headmaster Albus Dumbledore’s collection featuring the model solar system from Hogwarts' Astronomy Tower – all eleven areas of the store celebrate the opulent world of the Harry Potter films. Fantastic books, objects containing the “trapped souls” of witches and wizards, and magic wands provide the backdrop for the products, some of which can be personalised. For example, names can be embroidered onto wizard’s robes, and there is an engraving service for selected products.   About EHI: EHI is a research, training and consultancy institute for the retail industry and its partners. It has some 80 employees. The international EHI network encompasses some 800 member companies from the retail business and the consumer goods and capital goods industries. EHI was founded in 1951. President is Kurt Jox, the Managing Director is Michael Gerling. GS1 Germany, a joint subsidiary of EHI (50%) and Markenverband (the Brand Association, 50%), coordinates the assignment of Global Trading Item Number (GTIN, formerly EAN) in Germany. In cooperation with EHI, Messe Düsseldorf organises EuroShop, the world’s leading capital goods fair for the retail business, and EuroCIS, where the latest products, solutions and trends in IT and security technology are presented as well as C-star for the Asian retail market.   About Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Established in 2009, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) is a subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, one of the world’s top 5 exhibition organizers. MDS is committed to introducing world’s No. 1 trade fairs to China and to providing Chinese and international customers with superior exhibition services. MDS is successfully holding more than 20 leading trade fairs and conferences in China, covering the industries of printing, packaging, wire and tube, plastics, medical devices, retail, safety and health, wine & spirits and caravanning. MDS runs branch offices in Shanghai and Beijing with a workforce of some 70 full time employees. The worldwide outbound exhibition business (trade shows in Düsseldorf, Germany and other leading Messe Düsseldorf Global Shows) is organized by Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd. (MDC), serving Chinese exhibitors and visitors with superior customer service from its Hong Kong branch office. Find out more at www.mds.cn.

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    Your safety is always our top priority!

    Coronavirus: China Response and Next Steps   According to the World Health Organization, the comprehensive and strict measures China has taken to contain the spread have yielded positive results and these efforts have been recognized by international community. The numbers of new infections and fatalities are on the decline, and more and more patients are recovering.   Based on the protective approaches regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19), China has been able control further spreading of the virus.   China is already working to bolster its economy and return to a more normal semblance of its society, even as it works to contain the remaining chains of COVID-19 transmission. Appropriately, a science-based, risk-informed and phased approach is being taken, with a clear recognition of the need to immediately react to any new COVID-19 cases or clusters as key elements of the containment strategy are lifted.   The next step will see China maintain an appropriate level of emergency management protocols, and carefully monitor the phased lifting of the current restrictions on movement and public gatherings. Furthermore, a centralized research program to fast-track the most promising rapid diagnostics and serologic assays has been established and the testing of potential antivirals and vaccine candidates is ongoing. As China has experience with COVID-19, its scientists are working closely with those abroad to further enhance the systematic and real-time sharing of epidemiologic data, clinical results and experiences to improve the global response.   Precautions Taken by the Organizers of C-star 2020   We take the concerns of our customers, guests, partners and our staff regarding the coronavirus very seriously. Your safety is always our top priority! As the organizer, Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai will re-evaluate the situation in consultation with health authorities in order to create a safe environment for all participants.   Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai has paid great attention to it and closely followed the updates. Through rapid internal communication, a temporary emergency team consisting of project team leaders, risk management and legal experts was put in place. The emergency team has paid close attention to the feedback from exhibitors and key buyers and has been actively contacting local and overseas trade associations to evaluate the potential influence on the trade fair.   C-star 2020 will take place from September 2nd-4th, 2020 at Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) as planned. As exhibitors and visitors, you can expect a higher level of hygiene, safety and medical care at the fairground as usual. The organizers are closely monitoring current developments and is following strictly the suggestions and requirements of the health authorities and the fairground.   Appendix: WHO: Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)   Press Contact Laura Liu Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Tel: +86-21-6169 8300 Fax: +86-21-6169 8301 laura.liu@mds.cn www.mds.cn   Background information on organizers Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Established in 2009, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) is a subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, one of the world’s top exhibition organizers. MDS is committed to introducing industry leading trade fairs to China and providing Chinese and international customers with superior exhibition services. MDS is successfully holding 13 leading trade fairs and conferences in China, covering a broad range of industries including printing, packaging, wire and tube, plastics, medical devices, retail, safety and health, wine & spirits and caravanning. With a workforce of 70+ fulltime employees, the company's head office is located in Shanghai with a branch office in Beijing. www.mds.cn.

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    EuroShop 2020: High Degree of Internationality confirms Global Leading Function for Retail

    The World’s No.1 Retail Trade Fair, EuroShop 2020, drew to a close on Thursday (20 February 2020) after five successful days in Düsseldorf: 2,300 exhibitors from 57 nations reported of very good leads and concluded business deals. Furthermore, lively follow-up business is expected. 94,000 visitors travelled to the Rhine to gather information on the line-up of products, trends and concepts for retailers and their partners featured in 16 exhibition halls.     “We are delighted that EuroShop once again successfully proved to be the most relevant platform for the global retail community when it comes to trends, inspirations and networking. Our exhibitors deserve the highest praise for their loyalty. With their innovative power they again proved the major attraction for an entire industry,” said Erhard Wienkamp, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf, voicing his great satisfaction with EuroShop 2020 results.   Exhibitors especially applauded the high international attendance at EuroShop. 70% of the EuroShop audience travelled to Düsseldorf from abroad. Large delegations came for example from Brazil, Australia and New Zealand. Trade visitors from a total of 142 countries attended EuroShop 2020.   “This high level of international interest clearly documents the dynamism of the global retail world and the exceptional position EuroShop enjoys as its economic engine,” said Michael Gerling, Chairman of the EuroShop Advisory Board and CEO of the EHI Retail Institute Cologne.   “The success of eCommerce is a real encouragement for retailers: they have understood they have to give their shoppers good reasons beyond the ranges to enter their stores. This competition has taken retail as a whole to the next quality level. Investment is being made in shop fitting so as to create customer journeys,” explains Gerling who adds: “Beyond this, retail digitalisation is booming. It enables retailers to offer their shoppers even more services and link online and offline channels, on the one hand, while simplifying process flows, logistics and lots more, on the other.” At EuroShop 2020 digital transformation was therefore a key focus, also in terms of achieving the highest energy efficiency and sustainability possible.   Exhibitors underlined the high level of expertise among visitors at the event, especially their pronounced decision-making powers, because 70% of the trade fair guests were in international top management. Many of them also used their visit to EuroShop to learn about best practice cases and forward-looking trends in retail at the in total eight Stages. The varied programme of lectures held on the individual Stages on such topics as Retail Technology, Architecture and Store Design or Expo & Event was well attended across the board. Meeting with the same high level of approval were the numerous Specials at EuroShop, including the Start-up Hub, the Designer Village and Premium City.   Numbers speak for themselves here: 96% of trade fair visitors were satisfied with their visit to the trade fair. Just as many confirmed the outstanding position of EuroShop as a trend barometer, networking platform and largest event for the retail sectors.   The next EuroShop will be held in Düsseldorf from 26 February to 2 March 2023.  

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    EuroShop 2020: Unique Power Package for Retail

    EuroShop, the World’s no.1 Retail Trade Fair, is a must-see fixture for the retail world. From 16 to 20 February it will bring together to the tune of 2,300 exhibitors from over 60 countries with 114,000 trade visitors expected from throughout the world in Düsseldorf. And it is not only an indispensable information platform, trend hotspot and network for retail professionals but it also intensely impacts many other areas and sectors, delivers innovative blue-prints and addresses urgent themes of relevance to the future such as digitalisation, robotics, sustainability or climate neutrality.   The Eight Experience Dimensions at EuroShop 2020   EuroShop’s eight Experience Dimensions cover retailers’ complete investment needs, on the one hand, and provide inspirations galore and concrete answers to decisive questions that all retailers wanting to remain competitive have to ask themselves.     What functions do shops or stores have to perform today? Serve as experience places and points of identification? Feel-good locations? A Third Place? Pop-up marketplaces? What do they have to look or feel like? Creative and hands-on answers come care of the Shop Fitting & Store Design Dimension.   The Retail Technology Dimension presents all things surprising, enthusing, stimulating and taking you to the next level. Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Internet-of-Things, Smart Store, Customer Engagement, Mobile Payment and Cloud-based Services are the dominating themes in this Dimension.   Retail Marketing is the point of interest for “digital creatives”. Customer engagement & experience, brand experiences in physical and digital stores, personalisation via mobile devices, artificial intelligence, digital signage. The Retail Marketing Dimension at EuroShop 2020 awaits trade visitors with the complete spectrum of ever more in-depth and digital shopper interaction.     The lighting community gets together at EuroShop, too. Light plays a pivotal role when experience and staging, fascination and atmosphere come into play. Its versatile technical applications ranging from smart lighting to the IoT in conjunction with such ecological aspects as sustainability and efficiency will be on show at the Lighting Dimension.   Storytelling – this is what Visual Merchandising is all about – both as an analogue experience space and as a digital platform. Eurohop’s Dimension of the same name shows how to perfectly stage them, fascinate and wow shoppers with either walk-in stores or augmented reality, as pop-up or digital stores.   More and more supermarkets and also fashion stores draw their shoppers in with food services. This is why catering in retail is a “hot ticket” and will be given its own Food Service Equipment Dimension for the first time at EuroShop 2020. Here the menu will feature everything from fast food to Michelin star cuisine.   In the Refrigeration & Energy Management Dimension what belongs together will finally grow together: ecology and economy. Digital transformation and building automation, IoT and AI, efficiency and staging – all of this is instrumental to climate-neutral smart stores and will therefore be featured at EuroShop.   Trade fairs and events on the road to digitalisation and festivalisation – this will be centrestage at EuroShop’s Expo & Event Dimension, which is the world’s biggest sector-specific get-together for the live communication community.  Cross-media connections, complex experience scenarios, exhilarating performance or dynamic communication will be the dominating themes.   The Side Events at EuroShop 2020   The USPs of EuroShop include not only the extensive ranges of its exhibitors from throughout the world but also the quality and cross-section of its unrivalled line-up of side events.     8 Stages – 600 Speakers – 500 Lectures   The centrepiece of EuroShop are a total of eight Stages. They are lecture and discussion forums with high-calibre speakers addressing the latest developments, innovative trends and best practices amidst the hustle and bustle of the trade fair and accessible for EuroShop visitors free of charge and without prior registration (simultaneously interpreted in German-English or in English only). Boasting a total of 600 speakers and well over 500 expert talks delivered over five trade fair days this accompanying programme offers each trade fair visitor invaluable and right-on-target value added. All Stages at a glance: Retail Technology Stage, Omnichannel Stage, Start-up Stage, Store Design Stage, Retail Designers Stage, Energy Management Stage, Retail Marketing Stage and Expo + Event Stage.   The Specials at EuroShop – Buzzing with Ideas   The Specials at EuroShop include various areas with scope and freedom for experts, start-ups and Generations X, Y & Z, for ideas, visions and innovative products.   POPAI/Shop Global Village/ Hall 1 The POPAI Village will be presented as a completely re-branded segment. Exhibitors from many countries present all areas of POP marketing here. The Forum hosts presentations revolving around Point of Sale Marketing on all days.   Start-up Hub Retail Technology & Marketing/ Hall 3 Start-ups are young, creative, flexible, future-oriented and characterised by innovative problem solutions. EuroShop offers a dedicated presentation area to newcomers that specialise in the development of latest retail IT systems and solutions.     IFES Global Village/ Hall 4 The IFES Global Village is a meeting point for the IFES family (International Federation of Expo & Event Services) and a hotspot for networking with new business partners from throughout the world. Furthermore, 17 February will see a student and young talent breakfast take place at the IFES Global Village.   Premium City – So Much Better/ Hall 5 The Retail Design course at the Design Faculty of Düsseldorf University will occupy 665 m² at EuroShop. “Premium City” represents a visionary city in 2050 where retail, the public space and mobility merge. Ten individual projects can be seen as part of the presentation. On top of this the exhibition stand has a forum for lectures and special activities.   Italian Lighting Lounge/Hall 9 Also held as part of the 20th EuroShop will be the third edition of the Italian Lighting Lounge. Italian companies from the areas of interior and outdoor lighting as well as industrial design will present the latest trends and innovative systems on the international market.   EuroShop Designers Village/ Hall 12 From interior design to forward-looking retail design concepts: the EuroShop Designer Village will be given an as prominent and high-quality stage as ever in 2020. The exterior design of the Designer Village comes care of students from the Architecture and Design Faculty of the Peter Behrens School of Arts (PBSA) Düsseldorf.   ECOpark/ Hall 15 ECOpark is a special area for smart solutions revolving around energy themes in retail. Exhibitors here focus on smart, cross-outlet concepts that cater to the development of an ever more connected and complex energy system involving renewable energies. Alongside this, modern climate and air-conditioning technologies will be in the limelight.   Innovations Hub/ Hall 4 This “ideascape” makes innovative future visions from the fields of man-machine interaction, virtual and augmented reality as well as customer journey a real experience. As visitors enter the space they will become part of a multi-disciplinary network based on a cooperation between Düsseldorf University, Tennagels Medientechnik and Lavalabs Moving Images. This Think Tank promises to deliver creative inspirations and multi-sensory impressions. Visitors are invited to also try out things for themselves in innovative workshops.   And the Winner is… Awards at EuroShop   What would an international industry event such as EuroShop be without awards? The awards presented at EuroShop not only reflect the standing of this trade fair but also – and first and foremost – recognise outstanding achievements of the international retails community and related sectors.   The renowned EuroShop Retail Design Awards will be presented for outstanding store concepts and designs, the coveted Retail Technology Awards Europe (reta) for prominent IT solutions in retail and the Wissenschaftspreis will be awarded by EHI to excellent scientific works of high relevance to the retail industry.   Also presented at the EuroShop 2020 will be the POPAI D-A-CH Awards, the Innovationspreis Architektur und Innovation by trade magazine AIT, the IFES Development & Innovation Award and the Trendscouting Award, where exhibitors will be selected right at EuroShop by magazines AIT and xia provided their products are relevant to architecture. New are the Exhibitor Magazine EuroShop Awards, which will be presented by the US Exhibitor Magazine for the first time in cooperation with EuroShop for outstanding stand construction in all dimensions.   Guided Innovation Tours at EuroShop   Those who consider the ranges at EuroShop too extensive, those with only little time available or those looking for targeted information on individual topics or product groups, will have the possibility to register for various Guided Tours of the trade fair in the run-up to the event. On offer will be Guided Tours in the areas: Retail Technology, Store Design (focal theme: architecture), Refrigeration & Energy Management, Food Service Equipment, Expo & Event. The Guided Innovation Tours can be booked via the EuroShop Portal www.euroshop-tradefair.com.   EuroShop 2020 occupies approximately 125,000 m² net in 16 exhibition halls and is open to trade visitors from Sunday, 16 to Thursday, 20 February 2020, from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm daily. 1-day tickets cost EUR 80.- (EUR 60.- sold in advance online/E-Ticket), 2-day tickets cost EUR 120.- (EUR 100.- sold in advance online) and the season ticket EUR 180.- (EUR 150.- sold in advance online). The admission tickets include free return trips to EuroShop using VRR local public transport (Rhein-Ruhr transport authority). The online ticket shop at www.euroshop-tradefair.com is already open.

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    C-star Interview |  Nicolas Du Cray, Partner of Cathay Innovation 

      Interview with Nicolas Du Cray, Partner of Cathay Innovation    Q1: What do you think of Cathay Capital? We are a global investment platform that invests in technology start-ups and innovation all over the world. We’re active in the US, we’re active in Europe, we’re active in China, and we also have partnership in Africa and are looking (partnership) at Southeast Asia. We do venture capital investment in innovative companies. Q2: What are the vision and value of Cathay? As an investor, actually we have access to industrial resources. For example, in retail and brands and industries, because some large company invested in our funds and we have these companies work with start-ups, we also have the start-ups we work with to work better with these large companies. We, as an investor, our goal is to be concretely supporting our portfolio in their cooperation with corporates. Q3: What elements will Cathay consider before investment? It’s a matter of assessing the competitive advantage of the company, its ability to grow, its turnover and to reach profitability at some point, to use technology and the scale of the use of technology to a large number of users and also to be able to work with large companies to make them innovative. Q4: Among all the invested companies, which one do you think is the most promising? Why? So far, our best investment has been the social commerce platform for Pinduoduo which has been very successful in China. It went public on NASDAQ last summer and besides this large e-commerce company, we also have invested in human resource management software and some smartphone IOT software. Q5: Which industry will Cathay pay attention to in the near future? So, the big subject of a new retail, as a revolution of retail, e-commerce remain an very important subject for us, because we believe actually technology can really enhance the operation of retailers and provide access to players, to brands. So new retail is going to (be) improved significantly thanks to technology, not only at the point of sale but also on the whole value chain.

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    C-STAR AND THE GRID: AND THE WINNER IS …

    … Retail Connect   C-star, Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail, took place from 25 to 27 April. One of the highlights for 2019 was the partnership with THE GRID. This networking hub aims to bring together the digital world – Internet companies, providers of disruptive technologies and start-ups in the field of digital transformation – with the physical world, i.e. with trade fairs and companies from these industries. The aim is to bring intelligent start-ups in the retail sector into business faster. On April 22nd THE GRID invited to the Smart Retail Startup Challenge 2019. 11 young retail start-ups presented, under the guidance and moderation of Mr. Bruno Bensaid, Shanghaivest & Mobile Monday, their retail solutions. Not an easy job for the judges to nominate three of them for the final round. The jury consisting of Alvin Foo (Reprise Digital), Ashmit Bhattacharya (KargoCard), Susanna Chiu (East China for Li & Fung), Dominic Penaloza (WeWork China) and Alexis Richez (ZTP / Creadev) was impressed by the convincing and spirited ideas. Their decision was linked to those presentations that seemed to offer a realistic and suitable solution for the retail industry.   In the end they decided in favor of Addreality, Bevsight and Retail Connect. To emerge as the one winner the nominees had to present at the retail trade fair C-star on Friday, April 26th. Customer loyalty and positive side-effects In the final round, Retail Connect was the most convincing and emerged as the winner. Retail Connect is basically a loyalty-system for customers in shopping center – with positive side-effects beyond loyalty. Customer can scan the specifically tagged QR-code at their receipt and – while cloud computing is calculating the consumption – add loyalty-points after every purchase in real time. The data performance allows effective cross-store promotion and offers an accurate knowledge of store transaction which serves as the revenue-rent basis for the landlord of shopping malls. Proudly Dr. Matthew Wang, Retail Connect, was honored with the award. He now has the opportunity to give a presentation at EuroShop.   Dr. Matthew Wang, Retail Connect (photo: Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai) AI for more customer insights Retail Connect prevailed over Addreality, an AI-based platform. Taken that even in China, where customers are comparatively very online-orientated, still over 80 % of shopping is offline, the idea is to get better customer insights. Addreality uses the analysis of instore-behavior to measure e.g. the effect of promotions. With cameras and face-recognition it dissects in real time instore audience recognition for example after an advertising campaign and will give the retailer better understanding of what attracts people’s attention. Dmitry Shklyar, Addreality (photo: Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai) Cloud-technology prevents out-of-stock! Retail Connect also prevailed over Bevsight. Gastronomy becomes more and more attractive for retail as an integrated part of retail shops or in shopping center. Customers appreciate this extra service and retailers have thus the chance to extend the time being spent in their locations. Bevsight is an in-stock management solution for bars and restaurants and runs on every mobile device. To compare sales with inventory you take a photo of your items in stock. The software uses cloud-technology and creates graphs and analytics to give ab accurate calculation of inventory. Damien Fenoli, Bevsight (photo: Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai)

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    Outstanding Design: Best Stand Awards and Best Customer Journey at C-star 2019

        At C-star – Shanghai’s International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail – solution-providers presented their innovations and inspiring features for retail to a professional audience of retail experts. Watch the video to see the winning stands in the categories “Best Stand Award” and “Best Customer Journey”. As the official satellite event of EuroShop – The World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair, C-star offers a great business platform for the Chinese retail market. Outstanding stand designs and creative product presentations at C-star have inspired the organizers (Messe Düsseldorf, Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai and EHI) to honor the best appearances with the "Best Stand Award". To emerge from the competition as a winner, the exhibitors had to appeal to customers with a successful realization of the following criteria:   • Creativity: high degree of innovation with surprising elements • Design & Aesthetics: a successful mix of architecture, colors, materials and clearly identifiable corporate design • Customer Approach: unambiguous message and effective addressing of the target group • Stand Concept: consistent concept with clear communication of the product The “Best Stand Award” indicate the high quality of the exhibitors‘ appearances at C-star. On April 26th Messe Düsseldorf, Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai and EHI again had the challenging but honorable task to choose the three most convincing stands from the variety of outstanding performances at C-star and reward them with the Best Stand Awards 2019:   • Itab, a Swedish company for functional shop concepts, inspirational store environments and efficient customer flow in stores • Max Brilliant, a Chinese company for in-store supply • Futuristic, a specialist for store fixture from Singapore An additional award for the „Best Customer Journey“ was presented to Candex Displays, the organizer of the Retailer Hub, including solutions by Elf Sack (clothes), Fox Fairy (cosmetics), Rio Fresh (beverages), Jian 24 (unmanned store). The Chinese retailer presented a fashion store with different digital as well as physical touchpoints representing the shopping experience for customer. The next C-star will take place in 2020 from 2 to 4 September at Shanghai New International Expo Center.

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    Review:C-star Retail Forum 2019

    Theme - Dynamic Future of Retail Ecosystem With the consumption upgrade followed by China economy development, consumers require a more convenient and user-friendly shopping environment. Thus, dramatic revolution is happening in traditional retail industry. High technology is booming, shops are upgrading, retailers are repositioning, supply chain is well-connecting. Regarded as one of the most dynamic market in the world, China retail is quickly developing into an ecosystem, and undoubtedly a target of main players.   C-star 2019 Retail Forum was themed as 'Dynamic Future of Retail ecosystem', provided audience a professional knowledge sharing platform by inviting retailers, experts, commercial propertites, technology companies      table tr td{ padding:1%; border: 1px ; solid: #ffffff; font-size: 13px; }   2019.4.25 10:00-10:30 Opening Ceremony   2019.4.25 Afternoon 10:30-11:00 Global Retail Trends   13:30-14:00 Crossover Sails from Red Sea to Blue Ocean     Prof. Dr. Helmut Merkel Chairman Eurasia Global Limited       Shanghai Lao Mo Fang Ltd Founder/CEO Mr. Wu Jiabin 11:00-11:30 China Retail Industry Development   14:00-14:30 New business mode of China local retailors     Prof. Zhou Yong Shanghai Business School Advisory Board Director of Linkshop       TAYOHYA Head of Brand Development Mrs. Cui Zhihui 11:30-12:00 Innovation of Retail Industry   14:30-15:00 Persist in brand origin, return to customer value     Azurium, Australia China Strategic Consultant Mr. Wang Wei       Bosideng Vice President Mr. Wang Chenhua 12:00-13:30 Lunch   15:00-15:30 Innovation of Stock Business           Director of Shimao Commercial & Entertainment Innovation Department SHIMO Mr. Xiao Tao       15:30-16:00 New environment, New Scene, New Application           CHANGHONG DECORATION General Manager Mr. Wang Yue Winshang Panel Discussion:The rising of pop-up store in China retail industry. 16:00-17:00   Vice President Partner Mr. Shao Dequan   PlusBeauty Founder Ms. Fu Jianying   Popup Union Founder & CEO Mr. Dong ZhiguoE   LUONE Marketing Manager Mr. Chen Ye   2019.4.26 Morning   2019.4.26 Afternoon 10:00-10:30 China Retail Hotpot   13:30-14:00 The Digital Maturing of the Retail Industry     China Commerce Association for General Mechandise Deputy Secretary-General Mr. Yang Qingsong       Microsoft Senior Retail Industry Architect Mr. Noah Herschman 10:30-11:00 Make a physical store a landmark   14:00-14:30 The Vision of Cloud Transformation & Intelligent Enterprise Innovation     Display Community Founder Ms. Angela Chung       SAP China Head of Consumer Industries and Value Engineering Mr. Allen Miao 11:00-11:30 New mode retail design   14:30-15:00 Horizon AI chips enable smart retail     Matteo Thun & Antonio Rodriguez Design Interior Designer and Stylist Ms. Manuela Civettini       Horizon Robotics CMO & GM of Smart Retail Business Division Mr. Edward Lu 11:30-12:00 EPSON meets retail --- technology changes design   15:00-15:30 Unmanned Retail     EPSON China Product Manager Mrs. Ding Ruoming       Jian 24 Founder & CEO Dr. Lin Jie 12:15-13:30 Lunch                 THE GRID @ C-star 2019 Driving smart retail innovation in China 15:30-16:00   Moderator: Shanghaivest & MobileMonday Co-Fouder Mr. Bruno Bensaid   Panelists: Digital Marketing Shiseido Group China GM of Corporate Media Ms. Mika Kanai   Panelists: Cathay Capital Partner Mr. Nicolas Du Cray   Panelists: Mr. Luuk Eliens Head of Innovation of XNode   Panelists: 6e Group Digital and Innovation Head & Co-Founder Mr. Ming Liu           16:00-17:00 Startup Pitches and Awards         2019.4.27 Morning       10:00-10:30 Global Retail Technology Trends           EHI Retail Institute Vice President Mr. Ulrich Spaan       10:30-11:00 Non-standard commercial properties           China Shopping Center Development Association of Mall China President Mr. Victor Guo       11:00-11:30 Entertainment, Events and Adventure in a German Department Store           Lengermann & Trieschmann, Osnabrueck CEO Mr. Mark Rauschen       11:30-12:00 The AI Revolution: how in-store Analytics evolve           Xovis AG CPO and founder Mr. Christian Studer        

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    Review: ReTailor Hub presented an upgraded version of the 'Smart Retail Life Zone'

    C-star 2019 concluded successfully from April 25-27 at Hall N5 of the Shanghai New International Expo Center. This year's event brought together 150+ well-known exhibitors from all over the world with unique design concepts and advanced retail technology. As one of the highlights of C-star 2019, ReTailor Hub, a side brand under the C-star exhibition series, presented an upgraded version of the 'Smart Retail Life Zone' spread over 300 square meters for four major formats of pop-up stores: Clothes, Cosmetics, Beverages and Unmanned Convenience Store. The Chief Planner Candex Displays (China) Co., Ltd.(Booth No.N5A56) As one of the most innovative display system suppliers in China, Candex Display Equipment (China) Co., Ltd. provides fast and reliable services, and quality products to clients all over the world; some of which include: flags, poster stands and display equipment, which are mainly used at exhibitions, conferences, marketing and even retail services. Their professional international R&D team develops unique portable display devices and advertising devices for partners and clients around the world to meet their unique business needs. Fashion and Apparel: Elf Sack Established in June 2006, Elf Sack is an apparel brand which insists on the strategic positioning of women's clothing as the core with omnichannel strategy. Elf Sack excels at story-telling; has a passionate, confident and ambitious team; and 15 million female fans. Pursuing freedom, advocating heroism, and giving the product a soul with a design style full of imagination and curiosity; they believe that clothing is entertainment, culture, attitude, and one should never be a follower. Through their clothing designs and brand culture, they convey incredible and positive values that brings out confidence in young women. In 2019, Elf Sack will open up 100 brick-and-mortar stores across China. It showcased: Intelligent Customer Flow Analyzer ——SUZHOU WANDIANZHANG Based on humanoid contour recognition and video tracking technology; accurate personnel counting can be achieved with an accuracy of up to 95%. Automatic estimation of the walking direction, distinguishing incoming and outgoing customers, and depiction of the action track. Interactive Smart Shopping Guide Screens  ——KOSCAR Shenzhen Koscar company has independently developed multimedia systems, which supports multi-person multi-point interaction, tailor made layout design plans, picture and video playbacks, and various interactive games. It also supports network data port docking, which  allows content to be updated anytime from the backend. Transparent LED Display ——NEXNOVO TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD  NEXNOVO products are now widely used in store window advertisements, chain restaurants, shopping malls, airports, museums, financial institutions, automobile 4S shops, exhibitions, grand festival venues, stage construction, building curtain walls and other fields. With a brightness of up to 6000 nit, it is a transparent LED display with high resolution and brightness. Virtual Fitting System ——YUANRUN TECHNOLOGY( Booth No.N5A33-3) The system is the world's first O2O virtual fitting solution, using the latest MR (mixed reality) technology, allowing virtual try-on with FXMirror; thus, creating a unique shopping experience. Shelf and Display Stands ——SHOW GOOD DISPLAY( Booth No.N5A23) Show Good Display has good designers, experienced engineers and responsible workers, thousands of products are shipped to so many cities in China, and different countries around the world every year.  Model props —— Mannequns(Booth No.N5C13) Cosmetics Store: Fox Fairy Fox Fairy is China's leading imported cosmetics chain stores brand playing the world of beauty, selling internationally renowned brands such as GUCCI, CHANEL, SK-II, LANCOME, Versace, Estee Lauder and more. Nowadays Fox Fairy owns 80 stores, and in 2019, will open up 100 new stores in major cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Changsha. The new generation stores will continue to expand the trend of selling internationally renowned brands, while enabling the latest visual systems to enhance the customer's shopping experience.   It showcased:  Mirror Smart Makeup Cabinet ——KOSCAR Shenzhen Koscar company has independently developed multimedia systems, which supports multi-person multi-point interaction, tailor made layout design plans, picture and video playbacks, and various interactive games. It also supports network data port docking, which  allows content to be updated anytime from the backend. Electronic Virtual Shelf ——SHANGHAI KITON-TECH It is used to display the regular products in the store. This product can save space and labor costs for the store, bringing in additional income; and can display many more products. You don't need the staff to introduce the product details and functions one by one; and you can play other brands’ advertisements on the screen (such as advertisements for catering industry or clothing industry) FXMakeup ——YUANRUN TECHNOLOGY The system is the world's first O2O virtual fitting solution, using the latest MR (mixed reality) technology, allowing virtual try-on with FXMirror; thus, creating a unique shopping experience. Yaliang Customer Recognition System ——GUANGZHOU YALIANG Use smart facial recognition technology to obtain multi-dimensional information such as customer gender, age, preferences and consumption habits; identify VIP customers, and implement differentiated marketing strategies for different customers to achieve marketing targets.   Food and Beverage: Rio Fresh  Rio Fresh, a side brand of Rio Cocktail, will bring a brand-new robotic drinks bar at ReTailor Hub. The robotic bartender will provide precise feeding operation and stimulate the actions of the bartender’s shaking motion, together with music and dance, which create more acceptable and public bar service for younger customer. It aims to offer consumer a fresher, diversified, rapid and tailor-made cocktail enjoyment.   It showcased:   Robot Smart Wine Bar • Robot Bartender: More precise feeding operation, simulate the bartender's shake action, dance to the music, and create a more attractive and popular bar service for young consumers. • Visual experience: unlimited mirror wine bar, nice wine, robot dance, big screen animation, and BGM, giving consumers a pleasant sensory experience. • Artificial Intelligence: With Ai technology, such as biometrics, facial recognition, language recognition, etc., we can provide our customers with the ultimate product experience with our big data to tailor make taste and flavor for each customer.     Self-Service Liquor Maker • Completely automatic: drop cups, feeding, shake, mixing, discharging, soda water, and drop cap; all actions are completely automated. It is an automatic liquor machine ready to serve customer without a waiter. • Interactive experience: Built-in AI interactive marketing features, such as drink ordering with facial recognition, drink service by facial scanning, emotional recognition, etc., to give consumers a pleasant interactive experience. • Freestyle: The mini program comes with a DIY function, and customers can make their own style drink.   High Volume Liquor Dispenser • Mobile machine: small size, easily portable, large single cup capacity, quick service, suitable for a variety of scenarios, rapid deployment, and rapid service deployment. • The taste of royalty: Small in size, but extremely powerful. Each season select three of the most popular royal flavors in the market. With vodka and whisky as the base, you can produce 9 flavors of drinks, with or without alcohol, while consumers can choose their preference of alcohol percentage. • Dual mode switching: Dual screens provides two service modes, and it can be switched between the attendant order mode and the consumer self-service mode. Unmanned Convenience Store: Jian 24 Founded in 2017, Jian 24 is an unmanned convenience store providing the cutting-edge AI technology such as computer vision recognition, composite sensors and deep learning, which designed to provide customers with a "take away" shopping experience.

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    C-star 2019 closed with another success story in retail

    C-star - Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends All about Retail concluded its fifth edition on April 27, 2019. Exhibitors and visitors were highly satisfied with the show result. With the collocation with Hotel Plus - Total Solution for Commercial Properties, a total of 13,674 visitors came to Shanghai to explore the innovative retail solutions (an 5% increase from the previous year’s event). C-star once again proved its commanding position as the most international and professional business platform in China’s retail industry.   C-star sticks out because of its high-quality and consequently attracted international visitors from renowned retail brands including Gucci, Tory Burch, Louis Vuitton, Swarovski, Guess, UR, Under Armour, Esprit, Starbucks, Puma, Adidas, etc. to explored cutting-edge technologies, inspiring and new solutions in shopfitting, lighting and visual merchandising.   Marius Berlemann, General Manager of Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai Co., Ltd commented: “The response of the show result proves that C-star is established as the most influential and professional retail business platform in China. It impressively shows the need for this networking and information platform in a rapidly changing retail industry in China. More visitors came from Beijing, Chengdu, Hainan, Yunan, Hubei further demonstrates that C-star has gained it influence in the entire China market.”   Ms. Elke Moebius, Global Head - Retail & Retail Technologies of Messe Düsseldorf, subjoined: “I’m so delighted to see that C-star meets the exact requirements of the retail industry across the globe. At C-star retailers can find everything for their stores under one roof - from store planning to furnishing and technology.”   Decision makers at C-star This year, C-star welcomed 150 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions to showcase product solutions for Shopfittings & Shop Furnishing, Store Design & Visual Merchandising, Smart Retail Technology, Lighting and Catering & Refrigeration Systems, perfectly suited to the Chinese retail market. Exhibitors emphasized the decision-maker-level of the visitors and they vice versa were very satisfied with the high quality of exhibitors and praised the networking opportunities and multiple chances to conveniently collect qualified information.     As a new exhibitor at C-star, Ms. Ding Ruoming, Product Manager of Epson China, summarizes the result of the show: “It is very important for us to participate in C-star.  C-star attracts professional visitors from retail industry. Through this platform, we have established contact with many brands and commercial space designers. Moreover, exhibitors at the C-star showcased the latest retail solutions and applications, from which we have greatly benefited.”   Visitors were also inspired by the innovations seen at the fair. Mr. Wang Guan, Design Director of HOUSE UNDER THE DOME commented:” C-star is a professional platform where I am able to see the best retail design, shopfittings and shop furnishings. I have found the ideal shelves and light box. Through exchanges with exhibitors, I received latest information and trends in retail design. This show was significant to me. I will attend C-star every year and hope that C-star will maintain its successful development.”   C-star Retail Forum: Knowledge platform Under the theme "Dynamic Future of Retail Ecosystem", C-star Retail Forum was very much appreciated by a professional audience. On all three days, retail experts and industry leaders from around the world shared their analysis of new retail developments such as cross-over retail and artificial intelligence. As the key highlight at C-star Retail Forum, the presentations from renowned retailers like Bosideng, TAYOHYA, Lingqingxuan and the German Department Store L&T revealed valuable insights and creative inspiration. One of the speakers, Mrs. Cui Zhihui, Head of Brand Development of TAYOHYA said: " It’s my great pleasure to share my knowledge with the audiences at C-star Retail Forum. C-star is an outstanding event that provides a good opportunity for the retail industry to come together. Here, industry brands will find new opportunities and expand marketing channels in the era of cross-sectoral development. As markets and the financial environment are undergoing great changes, retailers can make use of an important platform such as C-star to work together, identify new directions, and explore new ways into the future. “   ReTailor Hub – Smart Retail Life Zone The ReTailor Hub presented creative solutions under the motto Smart Retail Life Zone in a real-life environment to prove its suitability in praxis. Driven by smart technologies forming the new retail business C-star’s ReTailor Hub featured key brands such as the fashion & apparel store Elf Sack, the cosmetics brand Fox Fairy, the beverage retailer Rio Fresh as well as the unmanned convenience store Jian 24. Along with them numerous retail providers showcased instore solutions from customer flow analytics, interactive smart displays, virtual fitting systems to robotic solutions in the 300-square-meter area.   The next C-star will take place in 2020 from 2 to 4 September at Shanghai New International Expo Center.   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star Linkedin as follows   See you next year in September!  

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    EuroShop RetailDesign Award: Expert panel distinguishes the best store concepts

    EHI and Messe Düsseldorf presented the EuroShop RetailDesign Awards for the twelfth time tonight. The Chinese retail trade fair C-star provided the backdrop in Shanghai – this year marks the fifth time the EuroShop subsidiary has invited retail experts from across the globe to the Chinese metropolis. The most compelling store concepts came from Germany, England and China: L&T Sport in Osnabrück, The Shop at Bluebird in London and the Zwilling flagship store in Shanghai were the winners of the EuroShop RetailDesign Award. To come out a winner from among 71 entries from 23 countries, a store concept had to present a well-honed mix of store architecture, colours, materials, lighting and visual merchandising. The clear communication of the product range as well as direct means of appealing to customers were key criteria for the jury of experts. L&T Sport, Osnabrück: The "Hasewelle" The fashion company Lengermann + Trieschmann's new sporting goods store covers 5,000 sqm of retail space on five floors. One of the store's main attractions is the "Hasewelle", a wave pool where surfers can test the latest boards right there in the store. Polygonal lines form the basis of the store design. The railings, whose lines are shaped in accordance with this design, are staggered across the floors in such a way that each floor and each position provides a new view of the "Hasewelle" pool. Polygonal elements and geometric lines provide a design framework for the facade as well, creating an aesthetically consistent system. In order to perfectly integrate the individual sporting goods brands into the design, the store refrains from the usual shop-in-shop brand solutions. Members can train in high-altitude conditions in the 800-sqm "Premium CITY-GYM". Separated from the store by nothing more than glass walls, the gym is part of the sporting goods store while also serving as an extension of its core business. The Shop at Bluebird, London: A cabinet of curiosity The Shop at Bluebird belongs to British fashion company Jigsaw and specialises in high-end brands from the worlds of fashion, beauty, art and design. The concept store's diverse offerings are housed in a heritage-protected 19th-century historical coach house on Floral Street in Covent Garden. Striking, opulent decor and design elements combine to create a "cabinet of curiosity". An atrium filled with natural light and a cobblestone floor creates an open-air ambience in the middle of the store. A custom-made, cube-shaped installation with 20 reflective surfaces hanging from the ceiling creates an artistic effect by reflecting and distorting its surroundings. The design concept plays with geometric forms and curved lines, combining traditional and modern elements harmoniously. Wallpapers in coordinated colours and textures complement the multifaceted aesthetic, consisting of elegant Art Deco patterns and floral Victorian motifs. Zwilling flagship store, Shanghai: Art Deco heritage The new Zwilling store in Shanghai unites retail, cooking classes and a restaurant. The focus is on traditional western and eastern themes combined with a puristic and understated interior. Dynamic changes in colours, materials and music provide contrast to differentiate individual areas of the store. Bathed in light, the ground floor features light oak and dark walnut, a sand-coloured terrazzo floor, and steel and brass frames, which all serve as a backdrop for the products, providing a warm, Mediterranean atmosphere. Dedicated to various food concepts, the upper floor is characterised by varying floor heights and seating. Tabletops made of blue glass and lighting elements made of brass are reminiscent of Shanghai's Art Deco heritage. A 36-metre-long wooden table with teal velvet chairs adds a rustic touch to the fine dining area, where visitors are invited to enjoy a meal. The customer encounters the brand's product world authentically – through a culinary adventure or hands-on cooking school experience.

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    C-star 2019: International Trendsetting Retail Design and Innovative Technologies

    C-star’s fifth edition is set to update its successful story for the retail industry. Exhibitors and trade professionals from all over the world will come together to explore cutting edge technologies, unique store design or smart retail solutions at this year’s trade fair. C-star 2019, themed “Your meeting point all about Retail” welcomes a total of 150 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions to Shanghai New International Expo Centre from April 25 – 27. As an official satellite of EuroShop in Düsseldorf, the world’s no. 1 retail trade fair, C-star will again present new retail solutions from international suppliers focusing on the vibrant Chinese retail market. C-star focuses on Shopfitting & Shop Furnishing, Store Design & Visual Merchandising, Smart Retail Technology, Lighting as well as Catering & Refrigeration.   Significant Supporting Program On-site   C-star, being the platform for finding market opportunities in China, is being supported by recognized regional and international industry associations and offers insights from experienced and successful international retailers. The collaborations highlight C-star’s meaningful event program including the C-star Retail Forum, EuroShop Retail Design Award (ERDA) and C-star’s Brand Zone.   This year’s C-star Retail Forum lines up internationally acknowledged retail experts to Shanghai. Leaders from established brands including those from Tayohya, Bosideng, Changhong Decoration, Zwilling or L&T, German Department Store, will reveal their success-stories and retail researchers from EHI Retail Institute, Eurasia Global Limited, China Shopping Center Development Association of Mall China, Australia Azurium (Shanghai) will present insightful facts and figures describing the rapidly changing retail industry and its mechanisms.   The EuroShop RetailDesign Awards (ERDA) will again emphasis the internationality of C-star 2019. This year's successful participants were required to show unique shop architecture concepts, combining colors, materials, lighting and visual merchandising for an outstanding customer experience. From a variety of 71 proposals from 21 countries only the three most impressive and prolific retail design trends will be selected by the jury of international retail experts. EHI and Messe Düsseldorf will jointly honor the winners of the eligible award on the evening of April 26.   ReTailor Hub demonstrates Smart Retail Life Zone   After the debut at last year’s C-star the ReTailor Hub will present an upgrated version of the Smart Retail Life Zone where again creative solutions will be shown in a real-life environment to prove its suitability in praxis. Driven by smart technologies forming the new retail business C-star’s ReTailor Hub features key brands such as the apparel store Elf Sack, the cosmetics brand Fox Fairy, the food & beverage retailer Rio Fresh as well as the unmanned store Jian 24. Along with them numerous retail providers will showcase instore solutions from customer flow analytics, interactive smart displays, virtual fitting systems to robotic solutions in the 300-square-meter area.   C-star’s Brand Zone is a premium stage for exhibitors to present their newest and most promising products and solutions to the audience across the globe. For 2019, innovative solutions providers including MALHERBE PARIS, Storymaker, HIDEKI AZUMA, Onewedesign, MPLUS, Koscar etc share their newest shop concepts, smart retail products and solutions to a globally connected audience of shop managers, solutions seekers, and wide range of retail professionals.   Inspiration from Designer & Technology Village   C-star will again present chic and compelling designs with artistic flair respectively smart technologies at Designer Village and Technology Village. Within these special zones, leading design studios from all over the world will display unique stand designs with advanced and encompassing service solutions. This way visual merchandising and shop design will bring an extraordinary shopping experience for a new era of retail shops and their prospective customers. New retail concepts also include intelligent omnichannel-solutions to provide a seamless shopping experience for the customers. C-star will present the most promising solutions for the integration of those services as well as innovative communication tools.   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star Linkedin as follows    Follow C-star @ C-star Expo   - End–    

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    ReTailor Hub will present an upgraded version of the 'Smart Retail Life Zone' 

    C-star 2019 will be held from April 25-27 at Hall N5 of the Shanghai New International Expo Center. This year's event will bring together 150+ well-known exhibitors from all over the world, bringing unique design concepts and advanced retail technology. As one of the highlights of C-star 2019, ReTailor Hub, a side brand under the C-star exhibition series, will present an upgraded version of the 'Smart Retail Life Zone' spread over 300 square meters, presenting four major formats of pop-up stores: Clothes, Cosmetics, Beverages and Unmanned Convenience Store. The Chief Planner Candex Displays (China) Co., Ltd.(Booth No.N5A56) As one of the most innovative display system suppliers in China, Candex Display Equipment (China) Co., Ltd. provides fast and reliable services, and quality products to clients all over the world; some of which include: flags, poster stands and display equipment, which are mainly used at exhibitions, conferences, marketing and even retail services. Their professional international R&D team develops unique portable display devices and advertising devices for partners and clients around the world to meet their unique business needs. Fashion and Apparel: Elf Sack Established in June 2006, Elf Sack is an apparel brand which insists on the strategic positioning of women's clothing as the core with omnichannel strategy. Elf Sack excels at story-telling; has a passionate, confident and ambitious team; and 15 million female fans. Pursuing freedom, advocating heroism, and giving the product a soul with a design style full of imagination and curiosity; they believe that clothing is entertainment, culture, attitude, and one should never be a follower. Through their clothing designs and brand culture, they convey incredible and positive values that brings out confidence in young women. In 2019, Elf Sack will open up 100 brick-and-mortar stores across China. It will showcase: Intelligent Customer Flow Analyzer ——SUZHOU WANDIANZHANG( Booth No.N5A36-2) Based on humanoid contour recognition and video tracking technology; accurate personnel counting can be achieved with an accuracy of up to 95%. Automatic estimation of the walking direction, distinguishing incoming and outgoing customers, and depiction of the action track. Interactive Smart Shopping Guide Screens  ——KOSCAR(Booth No.N5A36-1) Shenzhen Koscar company has independently developed multimedia systems, which supports multi-person multi-point interaction, tailor made layout design plans, picture and video playbacks, and various interactive games. It also supports network data port docking, which  allows content to be updated anytime from the backend. Transparent LED Display ——NEXNOVO TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD (Booth No.N5B22) NEXNOVO products are now widely used in store window advertisements, chain restaurants, shopping malls, airports, museums, financial institutions, automobile 4S shops, exhibitions, grand festival venues, stage construction, building curtain walls and other fields. With a brightness of up to 6000 nit, it is a transparent LED display with high resolution and brightness. Virtual Fitting System ——YUANRUN TECHNOLOGY( Booth No.N5A33-3) The system is the world's first O2O virtual fitting solution, using the latest MR (mixed reality) technology, allowing virtual try-on with FXMirror; thus, creating a unique shopping experience. Shelf and Display Stands ——SHOW GOOD DISPLAY( Booth No.N5A23) Show Good Display has good designers, experienced engineers and responsible workers, thousands of products are shipped to so many cities in China, and different countries around the world every year.  Model props —— Mannequns(Booth No.N5C13) Cosmetics Store: Fox Fairy Fox Fairy is China's leading imported cosmetics chain stores brand playing the world of beauty, selling internationally renowned brands such as GUCCI, CHANEL, SK-II, LANCOME, Versace, Estee Lauder and more. Nowadays Fox Fairy owns 80 stores, and in 2019, will open up 100 new stores in major cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Changsha. The new generation stores will continue to expand the trend of selling internationally renowned brands, while enabling the latest visual systems to enhance the customer's shopping experience.   It will showcase:  Mirror Smart Makeup Cabinet ——KOSCAR(Booth No.N5A36-1) Shenzhen Koscar company has independently developed multimedia systems, which supports multi-person multi-point interaction, tailor made layout design plans, picture and video playbacks, and various interactive games. It also supports network data port docking, which  allows content to be updated anytime from the backend. Electronic Virtual Shelf ——SHANGHAI KITON-TECH(Booth No.N5A36-6) It is used to display the regular products in the store. This product can save space and labor costs for the store, bringing in additional income; and can display many more products. You don't need the staff to introduce the product details and functions one by one; and you can play other brands’ advertisements on the screen (such as advertisements for catering industry or clothing industry) FXMakeup ——YUANRUN TECHNOLOGY( Booth No.N5A33-3) The system is the world's first O2O virtual fitting solution, using the latest MR (mixed reality) technology, allowing virtual try-on with FXMirror; thus, creating a unique shopping experience. Yaliang Customer Recognition System ——GUANGZHOU YALIANG(Booth No.N5B72) Use smart facial recognition technology to obtain multi-dimensional information such as customer gender, age, preferences and consumption habits; identify VIP customers, and implement differentiated marketing strategies for different customers to achieve marketing targets.   Food and Beverage: Rio Fresh  Rio Fresh, a side brand of Rio Cocktail, will bring a brand-new robotic drinks bar at ReTailor Hub. The robotic bartender will provide precise feeding operation and stimulate the actions of the bartender’s shaking motion, together with music and dance, which create more acceptable and public bar service for younger customer. It aims to offer consumer a fresher, diversified, rapid and tailor-made cocktail enjoyment.   It will showcase:   Robot Smart Wine Bar • Robot Bartender: More precise feeding operation, simulate the bartender's shake action, dance to the music, and create a more attractive and popular bar service for young consumers. • Visual experience: unlimited mirror wine bar, nice wine, robot dance, big screen animation, and BGM, giving consumers a pleasant sensory experience. • Artificial Intelligence: With Ai technology, such as biometrics, facial recognition, language recognition, etc., we can provide our customers with the ultimate product experience with our big data to tailor make taste and flavor for each customer.     Self-Service Liquor Maker • Completely automatic: drop cups, feeding, shake, mixing, discharging, soda water, and drop cap; all actions are completely automated. It is an automatic liquor machine ready to serve customer without a waiter. • Interactive experience: Built-in AI interactive marketing features, such as drink ordering with facial recognition, drink service by facial scanning, emotional recognition, etc., to give consumers a pleasant interactive experience. • Freestyle: The mini program comes with a DIY function, and customers can make their own style drink.   High Volume Liquor Dispenser • Mobile machine: small size, easily portable, large single cup capacity, quick service, suitable for a variety of scenarios, rapid deployment, and rapid service deployment. • The taste of royalty: Small in size, but extremely powerful. Each season select three of the most popular royal flavors in the market. With vodka and whisky as the base, you can produce 9 flavors of drinks, with or without alcohol, while consumers can choose their preference of alcohol percentage. • Dual mode switching: Dual screens provides two service modes, and it can be switched between the attendant order mode and the consumer self-service mode. Unmanned Convenience Store: Jian 24 Founded in 2017, Jian 24 is an unmanned convenience store providing the cutting-edge AI technology such as computer vision recognition, composite sensors and deep learning, which designed to provide customers with a "take away" shopping experience.

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    EuroCIS Interview | Renée Zhao, Head of Marcom Consumer Division, Messe Duesseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

    Interview with Renée Zhao, Head of Marcom Consumer Division, Messe Duesseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Renee ,welcome to EuroCIS. How do you see the development for the C-star? As the official satellite event of EuroShop, C-star - Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail will have its fifth edition since its debut in 2015. Recently the retail industry in China is developing very fast, especially in the innovation perspective. So, given this market trend, I have noticed that there are more and more retail technology solution providers join C-star. Before that, at this show you will see fascinating store design, but now you will see more and more innovations on the technology. And what are the highlights at C-star? This year we have a lot of onsite supporting programs which is really like the knowledge platform for this show. So, this year you will see a lot of events, for example, we will have Retail Forum which we will invite a lot of retailers and the experts from the retail industry and the commercial property experts as well as a lot of solution providers to gather together and to share their insights about retail. And another highlight is that it is the first time we will integrate a new concept of THE GRID. THE GRID actually is a platform where we connect the digital platform sphere with physical platform sphere. So, this time we work with THE GRID and we will invite a lot of smart retail startups to C-star to participate in selection. The winner would receive the fabulous rewards containing the visitor ticket and speaking opportunity at EuroShop. Also we will give more supporting and training and help them to grow and go to market. That sounds great. What are the most important topics for the retail market in China for the next year's? You will see that there are more and more unmanned stores which take place in Shanghai. So that means you don't need to bring cash, you just use your phone and then you can just go into the store and grab the things you have and check out by Alipay or Wechat pay. That's really fascinating, very helpful and convenient for the customer actually, and also I see that we have a lot of innovation stores now, for example, Nike and Adidas will have their flagship stores in Shanghai where you can experience a lot of new and cutting-edge technologies like screens and data measurement technology there. I see that the technology will be the key for the retail trend in China.     You're sitting on a plane right now. Where are you going? Yeah, I am on the plane, and in April and I will go to C-star and so welcome all of you to C-star show at the end of April.

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    C-star 2019 Previews | Lighting

    Each store has unique lighting needs. Different color and illuminances should be applied for different styles and areas. Scientific lighting design creates a contrast of light and darkness to achieve a comfortable and harmonious lighting environment, which enables consumers to enjoy their shopping experience. As one of the five dimensions of C-star 2019,lighting area will showcase the most eye-catching lighting devices such as LED illuminators, light bars, light boxes, etc., helping your store to attract customers and create the ultimate consumer experience. Partial list of the well-known exhibitors participating in this area (in no particular order) Get a glance at the latest solutions in lighting area JIANGSU LVSUNNY VISION TEHNOLOGY CO., LTD.(Booth No. N5X07) a professional shop lighting total solution provider. Main goods: LED Tracklight, LED Downlight, LED Spotlight, Linear System led light and so on special commercial led light.   LED Tracklight: ST-T4P-35W Power: 35W, Voltage:220-240V, CCT:3000K/4000K, Beam Angle: 15°、25°,35°,60° Efficiency:>80lm/w, CRI:80/90/95/97, SDCM:3, PF>0.9, Body Color: White/Black, Lifespan:30000H SELF ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.( Booth No. N5C25) Driven by innovative concept, cherishing the aspiration for culture, SELF is dedicated to provide professional display and presentation lighting solutions and create great customer values world widely.   Beam angle adjustable and dimmable track light Both DALI dimming and single lamp dimming are available; Adding optical filter can realize the change of different light shapes.        ITAB( Booth No. N5A06) Group mission is to improve the shop experience and being "One Step Ahead". Innovative in-store equipment to improve product display and customer engagement, guidance & service. Supported by highly successful shop fitting services. Provide a better choice and simplified purchasing process.   ExO II A double directional reflector is perfect for aisle lighting. Due to their high output and optimised optics the ExO series offers seamless, homogenous lighting without bright or dark spots. Indirect lighting also minimises glare resulting in a calm yet bright retail environment where light, and the customers’ attention, is focussed fully on the goods on display.   DONGGUAN WUFENG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.( Booth No. N5X05) Our main products are led decoration lights, residential lights, cabinet lights, bathroom lights and display lights. Also, we are the earliest manufacturer of led flexible strip and got the patents for regarding important accessories. All of our products are CE, CB, GS, SAA, UL, RoHS listed. Corner LED Bar Light: WF-LTV0808-L Mini LED Bar light for corner,45 degree lighting ,3M adhesive tape,clips or magnetic attaching for easy installation, length is customizable. Size:300mm 600mm 900mm, Input:12V, Power:10W/M, Luminance: 600LM, CCT: Cool White/White/Warm White   ZHONGSHAN YND OPTOELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.(Booth No.N5C35) ZHONGHSAN YND OPTOELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD is located in “CHINA LIGHTING CAPITAL”-GUZHEN. Our company is specialized in researching, developing and applying led linear lights and led UFO high bay lights and magnet light.   LED linear light,LED magnet light,LED UFO high bay light Trunking is an innovative design which integrated linear lighting,track lighting.Spot lighting and more.With this system, end users are able to change their lighting environment tools-freely.It's widely applicable to supermarkets, warehouses, schools, car showrooms or other places where the bojets are non-fixed.With this system, because you are able to adjust the lighting scenes easily by yourself when with this system. In combination with the trunking systems,linear lights are able to be installed conveniently.Different lenses, 30' 60' 90, single asymmetric, double asymmetric are available.Applicable to shopping mall shelf lighting, warehouse lighting, office lighting and more.The luminaires can be connected endlessly and seamless.New atmosphere can be created with this light. Visitor pre-registration is now available. One-click for 5 special benefits:   ? Free entry to the show (normally RMB100) ? One complementary show catalogue (Valued RMB100) ? Faster admission to avoid long queues ? Free access to monthly newsletters ? Free access to four concurrent events

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    C-star 2019 Preview | Smart Retail Technology

    The transformation of the retail industry that we are currently witnessing is primarily driven by the change in the payment method, and then by the changes in the customer acquisition process. Smart retail technology is fueling the momentum to bring about this change. As one of the five dimensions of C-star 2019, smart retail technology area brings together leading local and global technology companies to showcase their latest smart retail technology solutions, and to demonstrate the refinement in experience-based marketing, big data management, and how big data drives the future of retail and other fields. Partial list of the well-known exhibitors participating in this area (in no particular order) Get a glance at the latest solutions in smart retail technology area JIAN 24 (Booth No. N5A33-1) Leveraging the latest deep learning technologies, Jian24 provides both smart vending machine solution and smart mini-store solution. Through big data analytics and online offline channel integration, traditional retail stores can be upgraded to be fully digitalized and AI empowered Jian24 Smart Vending Machine   HANGZHOU ZKONG NETWORKS CO., LTD. (Booth No. N5B12) We are the manufacture and founded in 2006, Hangzhou city and committed to providing wireless hardware product. Moreover, we deeply cooperated with Alibaba corp to create smart hardware combined with cloud solution.   Zkong Electronic Shelf Label A truly enterprise-class solution using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cloud computing tech- nology, offering the lowest total cost and best performance of any ESL vendor.   HORIZON ROBOTICS (Booth No. N5B01) With world-leading capabilities for deep learning and decision-making algorithm development, Horizon Robotics inte- grates algorithms into high-performance, low-power and low-cost edge AI processors and computing platforms.   Horizon Robotics Edge AI Cameras Integrating Horizon Robotics' built-in self-developed edge AI vision processor – Sunrise and world's leading deep learn- ing algorithms, edge AI cameras enable large-scale face detection, tracking, capturing and comparison while supporting a front-end database of up to 50,000 human faces, suitable for smart city, smart retail, and other scenarios at low power consumption.   BIZERBA SE&CO. KG (Booth No. N5A21) Bizerba offers its customers in industry, trade, and logistics a globally unique solutions portfolio of hardware and software around the central value "weight". This portfolio includes products and solutions related to slicing, processing, weighing, cashing, checking, commissioning and labeling.    The K-Class touch-screen electronic scale The K-Class touch-screen electronic scale has upended the traditional service counter. This is a critical step towards intelligent technology, which greatly reduces the workload of sales people by standardizing operations:He automatically improves the ability and performance of the counter operator. The built-in software of the electronic scale can be customized according to customer's requirements, and has been processed with complex and varied operation tasks. This is exactly what BIZERBA engineers are pursuing: Always take the lead one step at a time to develop a solution - ensure that the solution is not only convincing performance, but also simple to operate. Adopt hygienic cleaning technology to ensure maximum safety, and the requirements for power, maintenance and maintenance are very low.   SSLT(BEIJING) IOT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.(Booth No.N5A26) We are the data service providing company who based on getting data from intelligent terminal, controlling how the intelligent terminal works, then analyzing the data what we get. We self R&D a series Integrated Hardware&Software Intelligent Products with RFID, EAS and AI technology and have been getting more than 50 certifications of Inventory, New Applications Usage, Software, Outlook Design,etc.    UANGZHOU YALIANG ( Booth No. N5B72) Founded in 2007, the global leader in new retail eco-services.“The best service for store opening” as our Group mission. 10 years development, YALA DISPLAY has developed from a POP display products manufactor to a comprehensive high-tech group enterprise that can fully realize the collection and analysis of physical stores.   Visitor pre-registration is now available. One-click for 5 special benefits: ? Free entry to the show (normally RMB100) ? One complementary show catalogue (Valued RMB100) ? Faster admission to avoid long queues ? Free access to monthly newsletters ? Free access to four concurrent events  

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    Exciting events collocated with C-star 2019

    C-star 2019 will be held from April 25-27 at Hall N5 of the Shanghai New International Expo Center. This year's event will bring together 150+ well-known exhibitors from all over the world, bringing unique design concepts and advanced retail technology.   Well-known exhibitors at C-star 2019 include · Shopfittings: ITAB, MAX BRILLIANT, SHANYOUNG, FUTURISTIC, YONGCHENG, AERTAI, LONGSUN, VFK, etc. · Store Design and Visual Merchandising: CHANGHONG, REDMAN, LINGTONG, CANDEX, ONEWEDESIGN, YIPPEE, GANTER, GRAPHIC, etc. · Smart Retail Technology: JIAN 24, ZKONG, EPSON, BIZERBA, XOVIS, SSLTM, YALIANG, etc. · Lighting: LVSUNNY, HUAYUEMEI, SELF, ITAB, CITYLUX, PUREGEER, etc. · Refrigeration system: QINGDAO DASHANG, ICCOLD, SANTA, AOLIKE, HIRON, etc.   Get a peek at the list of speakers at Retail Forum 2019 The theme of Retail Forum 2019 will be ‘Dynamic Future of Retail Ecosystem’, bringing together domestic and overseas retail brands, shopping center operations executives, reputed academic experts from the retail industry, leading technology service providers, etc., to create a business platform to share knowledge, insights and interaction.   Currently, Ms. Angela Chung, the founder of Display Community, has confirmed his attendance and will deliver a speech on “Design Trend of Retail Space”     Angela is the standard builder of China's display industry, display promoters and practitioners in the whole industry of China. She is also the research and development experts on China's display training courses as well as the pioneers of Chinese experience shop design. At the same time, Mr. Xiao Tao, the General Manager of SHIMO, will deliver an insightful presentation on “New Start of Shimao Shopping Mall”.     Xiao Tao, with extensive experience in commercial real estate trading, has been in charge of the investment of China Resources Nanning Vientiane City, the positioning and leasing business development of China Resources Qianhai Vientiane City; and the operations of China Resources Chengdu Region. Since 2016, he has served as the General Manager of Shimao Commercial Investment Shanghai Co., Ltd. He re-positioned Shanghai Shimao Festival City which opened on 28th September 2018, with a new image of ‘trendy hub of a magical city’. During the opening, the cool appearance of the new decoration theme ‘Trendy and Fun Era’, attracted consumers' attention and provided them with a dynamic experience.   More speakers and trending topics will be announced soon. Stay tuned with us.   ReTailor Hub creates a 300 square meter Smart Retail Life Zone This year, ReTailor Hub, a brand under the C-star exhibition series, will create an enhanced version of the ‘Smart Retail Life Zone’. In the 300 sqm area, it will showcase four pop-up stores including an unmanned store, cosmetics store, apparel store and beverages store. You will experience AI fitting, AI beauty, customer flow analysis, facial recognition, LED interaction, unmanned convenience store, self-checkout and other eye-catching store designs.   Fashion and Apparel: Elf Sack Established in June 2006, Elf Sack is an apparel brand which insists on the strategic positioning of women's clothing as the core with omnichannel strategy. Elf Sack excels at story-telling; has a passionate, confident and ambitious team; and 15 million female fans. Pursuing freedom, advocating heroism, and giving the product a soul with a design style full of imagination and curiosity; they believe that clothing is entertainment, culture, attitude, and one should never be a follower. Through their clothing designs and brand culture, they convey incredible and positive values that brings out confidence in young women. In 2019, Elf Sack will open up 100 brick-and-mortar stores across China.     Cosmetics Store: Fox Fairy Fox Fairy is China's leading imported cosmetics chain stores brand playing the world of beauty, selling internationally renowned brands such as GUCCI, CHANEL, SK-II, LANCOME, Versace, Estee Lauder and more. Nowadays Fox Fairy owns 80 stores, and in 2019, will open up 100 new stores in major cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Changsha. The new generation stores will continue to expand the trend of selling internationally renowned brands, while enabling the latest visual systems to enhance the customer's shopping experience.     Food and Beverage: Rio Fresh Rio Fresh, a side brand of Rio Cocktail, will bring a brand-new robotic drinks bar at ReTailor Hub. The robotic bartender will provide precise feeding operation and stimulate the actions of the bartender’s shaking motion, together with music and dance, which create more acceptable and public bar service for younger customer. It aims to offer consumer a fresher, diversified, rapid and tailor-made cocktail enjoyment.     Unmanned Convenience Store: Jian 24 Founded in 2017, Jian 24 is an unmanned convenience store providing the cutting-edge AI technology such as computer vision recognition, composite sensors and deep learning, which designed to provide customers with a "take away" shopping experience.     THE GRID unveils at C-star THE GRID is a networking hub founded in 2017 by Messe Düsseldorf in China, which aims at connecting the digital platform sphere - all those internet companies, providers of disruptive technologies and digital transformation start-ups - with the physical platform sphere, aka exhibitions and its companies from those industrial sectors.   This year, THE GRID will firstly land at C-star 2019, joining force with MobileMonday Shanghai for Smart Retail Start-up Challenge. The winner would receive the fabulous rewards containing the visitor ticket and speaking opportunity at EuroShop, the world’s leading retail trade fair in Germany.   Contact with Ms. Michelle Wang at michelle.wang@mds.cn for further details.   Visitor pre-registration is in full swing. One-click to enjoy 5 benefits •      Free entry to the show (Valued RMB 100) •      One complementary show catalogue (Valued RMB 100) •      Faster admission to avoid long queues •      Free access to monthly newsletters •      Free access to four concurrent events   Scan the QRCode to get the free ticket now (C-start 2018 visitors may log in directly by mobile phone number)   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star Facebook or visit the official website: http://www.c-star-expo.com/en/   Follow C-star @ C-star Expo Press Contact: Ms. Renee Zhao  Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd Tel: +86-21-6169 8335 Fax: +86-21-6169 8301 Renee.zhao@mds.cn www.mds.cn   Organizers background information Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Established in 2009, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) is a subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, one of the world’s top 5 exhibition organizers. MDS is committed to introducing world’s No. 1 trade fairs to China and to providing Chinese and international customers with superior exhibition services. MDS is successfully holding more than 20 leading trade fairs and conferences in China, covering the industries of printing, packaging, wire and tube, plastics, renewable energy, medical devices, retail, safety and health, wine & spirits and caravanning. MDS runs branch offices in Shanghai and Beijing with a workforce of some 70 full time employees. The worldwide outbound exhibition business (trade shows in Düsseldorf, Germany and other leading Messe Düsseldorf Global Shows) is organized by Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd. (MDC), serving Chinese exhibitors and visitors with superior customer service from its Hong Kong branch office. Find out more at www.mds.cn.

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    Topics and Trends of EuroCIS 2019

    Interview with Elke Moebius, Global Head of Retail / Retail Technologies, Messe Düsseldorf What are the likely trends and priorities to be set by exhibitors at EuroCIS 2019? The ongoing digitalisation of our society is currently also dominating developments in the retail sector and therefore also EuroCIS 2019. Omnichannel retail, i.e. addressing customers via various, fully integrated channels, has become indispensable. Which is why all solutions that support retailers in implementing their omnichannel strategies will play a prominent role at EuroCIS 2019. Above all, these will include mobile solutions, be these for supporting in-store staff, interacting with customers’ smartphones or implementing mobile payment or the digitalisation of the POS using smart mirrors, video walls or virtual reality to ensure more service and the emotionalisation of the shopping experience. Hot topics like the IoT, AI and robotics are also very popular. Many developments in these areas over the coming years will also of great relevance to the retail trade. EuroCIS already brought some of these topics on board last year. In the coming year they will move even more to the fore at exhibitors’ stands. Just like in 2018, EuroCIS also offers a “Guided Innovation Tour” in 2019. Retailers in which industries or company sizes is this tour particularly aimed at? The tour concept was designed in such a way to make it interesting for retailers from a wide range of industries. Independent retailers will find it more interesting to be introduced to individual solutions on a guided tour than perhaps retailers with a large branch networks and their own Retail Technology department, who usually come to EuroCIS very well informed. The range of solutions presented during the tour is broad, from exciting in-store and analysis technologies to the latest customisable solutions for young start-up firms. Mobile payment has been a hot topic since mobile phones arrived on the mass market – but German consumers, especially, remain cautious. Will mobile payment become more widespread in this country at some point? I guess so. The introduction of the “contactless girocard” in the summer of 2017, in particular, has noticeably changed card-based payment processes in many retail businesses. Usage rates for contactless payment are making significantly increases month on month. The great success of card-based contactless payment is now encouraging providers to focus their energies on mobile payment – the logical next-generation technology. It remains to be seen whether mobile payment will ever become as widespread in Germany as it is in China, for example. But here, too, retailers should be prepared to offer customers all the options they want. Demand will increase noticeably in the very near future. AI, big data analysis and robotics have long been used by large retail chains. Are technologies like these also useful for “small” physical retailers with one or two branches? any applications, especially in the field of AI and big data analysis, are increasingly available as cloud services and are therefore – albeit to a lesser extent – also relevant for smaller retailers. As far as robotics are concerned, most small retailers are unlikely to find a reasonable cost-benefit ratio at present, but this too may change in a few years’ time. 2019 will see the Start-Up Hub held at EuroCIS for the second time now. Can you give us a brief insight into the highlights we can expect to find there? Start-up hub @ EuroCIS Providing key highlights here will be the ideas and innovative solutions from the young companies present. For instance, the 15 exhibitors include Brickspaces – according to their own information, the largest marketplace for the brokerage of temporary retail concepts in the D-A-CH region. The focus here is on pop-up stores and the implementation of unique retail concepts at prime locations. With Fision’s Size Advisor users can create an individual body profile with virtually any smartphone or webcam. The assistant then calculates the ideal clothing size from body size and live images. Nodis will present a direct sales engine for manufacturers and distributors from the consumer goods industry enabling them to network individually with multipliers and activate these for the direct sale of their goods. Panther Pricing‘s cloud software generates automated retail price reduction recommendations using intelligent machine learning technology. Thinkinside offers an in-store analytics solution that measures in real time how customers move around the store and what products they interact with. The next step is to transfer the data into actionable KPIs for branch and marketing managers in order to improve processes and optimise store profitability. These are just a few brief examples of what awaits us in the Start-up hub. A new feature this year is a separate lecture forum at the hub where newcomers can present themselves and their solutions to the specialist audience in short lectures and engage in direct dialogue.

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    THE GRID will join force with Mobile Monday to accelerate the smart retail startups

         THE GRID is the networking hub aiming at connecting the digital platform sphere - all those internet companies, providers of disruptive technologies and digital transformation start-ups - with the physical platform sphere, exhibitions and its companies from those industrial sectors. Founded in 2017 by Messe Düsseldorf in China, THE GRID links digital innovators with their future markets helping them grow from zero to hero, and connects representatives of the classical industries with them. THE GRID organizes lounges, meet-ups, pitches and conferences where both the digital sphere and representatives of industry segments can mingle, network and share expertise to unleash the power of both worlds for a prosperous future of China.   On April 22, THE GRID will join force with MobileMonday and bring together 8 to 10 outstanding startups for the smart retail Demo-pitches night. Become one of only 10 startups that will be given the opportunity to present in front of a jury of VCs, Angel Investors, Tech Incubators and successful Mobile Entrepreneurs.   The Winner and runners-ups in each category will move onto the final round on April 26th at C-star 2019, in front of a panel of VCs and Tech executives, and gain international exposure, PR and opportunities to network. The winner would receive the fabulous rewards containing the visitor ticket and speaking opportunity at EuroShop as well as the free coaching from MobileMonday founder’s team.   Warm-up Event:Startup Pitches Time: April 22th 19:00-22:00 Venue:WeWork (696 Weihai Road Jing'an District Shanghai 200041) Organizer: THE GRID and MobileMonday Endorser: C-star Main Event:Pioneer’s Pitch and Award Ceremony Time: April 26th 15:30-17:00 Venue: Hall N5, Shanghai New International Expo Center   This competition is open to startups that satisfy the following criteria: Smart retail startups More than 6-months old (or 3 months with an MVP is available), but < 2 years Not yet VC-funded; seed and angel investment under $1M USD   Startups apply by sending the above materials to ranjit@fugumobile.cn or info@mobilemondayshanghai.net by April 2nd EOD China time   Visitor pre-registration for C-star is in full swing. Scan the QRCode to register for free now. (C-start 2018 visitors may log in directly by mobile phone number)   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star Facebook or visit the official website: http://www.c-star-expo.com/en/   Follow C-star @ C-star Expo Press Contact: Ms. Renee Zhao  Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd Tel: +86-21-6169 8335 Fax: +86-21-6169 8301 Renee.zhao@mds.cn www.mds.cn Organizers background information Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Established in 2009, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) is a subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, one of the world’s top 5 exhibition organizers. MDS is committed to introducing world’s No. 1 trade fairs to China and to providing Chinese and international customers with superior exhibition services. MDS is successfully holding more than 20 leading trade fairs and conferences in China, covering the industries of printing, packaging, wire and tube, plastics, renewable energy, medical devices, retail, safety and health, wine & spirits and caravanning. MDS runs branch offices in Shanghai and Beijing with a workforce of some 70 full time employees. The worldwide outbound exhibition business (trade shows in Düsseldorf, Germany and other leading Messe Düsseldorf Global Shows) is organized by Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd. (MDC), serving Chinese exhibitors and visitors with superior customer service from its Hong Kong branch office. Find out more at www.mds.cn.

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    Best Stand Awards will be awarded to outstanding stands at C-star 2019

    At C-star – Shanghai’s International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail – solution-providers present their innovations and inspiring features for retail to a professional audience of retail experts from all over the world. As the official satellite event of EuroShop – The World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair, C-star offers a great business platform for global retail. This highly professional environment has led to outstanding presentations. Among the huge variety there are so many impressive stands at C-star that the organizers (MD Messe Düsseldorf, MDS Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai, EHI) have been inspired to honour the best presentations with the “Best Stand Awards”.   To emerge from the competition as a winner, the exhibitors have to appeal to customers with a successful realization of the following criteria: - Creativity: high degree of innovation with surprising elements - Design & Aesthetics: a successful mix of architecture, colours, materials and clearly identifiable corporate design - Customer Approach: unambiguous message and effective addressing of the target group - Stand Concept: consistent concept with clear communication of the product   On April 26th, MD, MDs and EHI will again have the challenging but honourable task to choose the three most convincing stands from the variety of outstanding performances at C-star and reward them with the Best Stand Awards 2019.   Additionally, the winning companies will be invited to the exclusive International Reception on the evening of April 26th, which will include the ceremony of this year’s EuroShop Retail Design Award.   The winners of the Best Stand Awards will be published in press releases, newsletters, on websites and social media channels of the organizers as well as in their various social media channels, including the Global Competence Retail Community.

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    New Focus on Five Dimensions of Experience at C-star 2019 from 26-28 April

    ·  New focus on five product categories ·  Two special display zones showing the latest retail design and smart technology ·  Highlights of supporting programme   April 2018 saw the astonishing success of fourth edition of C-star, the most professional and international retail trade fair in China. As the official satellite event of EuroShop – The World’s No. 1 Retail Industry Trade Fair, C-star is dedicated to building up a great business platform for retail solution providers and retailers across the globe.   Themed “Your meeting point all about Retail”, C-star is set to write another successful chapter in retail history at Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) from April 26 to 28, 2019, C-star features the inspiring and new retail concepts, providing a one-stop purchase and communication platform for industry professionals to explore the cutting-edge retail design concept and smart retail technology solutions.  New focus on five product categories C-star stands out on the highly concentrated trade show market with its high standard of exhibitor presentation. At the coming edition, C-star will feature a broad overview of the retail industry and will focus on five dimensions which includes Shopfittings, Store Design and Visual Merchandising, Smart Retail Technology, Lighting as well as Catering and Refrigeration system.   Application process for 2019 is now in full swing. Exhibitors can direct register the 2019 edition online at http://exhibitor.c-star-expo.com/en/Apply-For-Booth.aspx.   Two special areas showing the latest retail design and technology Smart Retail Technology Village is a high-tech interactive experience zone, a dedicated stage to showcase the latest smart retail solutions. It will bring together the most advanced products from big data, artificial intelligence, mobile payment, logistic services and other innovative solution providers to show you the fineness of scene marketing, big data management, and how big data drives future retailing.   Designer Village has to do with interior design with high-profile retail concepts. A perfect stage for architect offices and design studios to showcase the high-end projects in spacious lounge area. Are you looking forward to meeting with over 15,000 visitors? Join our Designer Village and make your successful trip at C-star 2019!   More details about the application of two special zones, please contact with Mr. Andy Ren at andy.ren@mds.cn or Ms. Juliet Zhu at juliet.zhu@mds.cn.  Highlights of supporting programme C-star wants to be the driving force of Chinese retail. Which is why it will also offer an extensive, in-depth supporting programme with several events held concurrently with the trade fair next year. The highlighted events include:         ·  C-star Retail Forum, retail experts and industry leaders from around the world will share valuable insights and analyses on the new retail development such as customer-centered strategies trends       ·  ReTailor Hub, a dedicated communication hub where retailors meet retail solution providers       ·  THE GRID at C-star, an industry launchpad for digital retail pioneers       ·  EHI and Messe Düsseldorf present the EuroShop Retail Design Award (ERDA) for the three most convincing store concepts worldwide   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star Facebook as follows or visit the official website: http://www.c-star-expo.com/en/   Follow C-star @ C-star Expo   - End -   Press Contact: Ms. Renee Zhao Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd Tel: +86-21-6169 8335 Fax: +86-21-6169 8301 Renee.zhao@mds.cn www.mds.cn     Organizers background information Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Established in 2009, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) is a subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, one of the world’s top 5 exhibition organizers. MDS is committed to introducing world’s No. 1 trade fairs to China and to providing Chinese and international customers with superior exhibition services. MDS is successfully holding more than 20 leading trade fairs and conferences in China, covering the industries of printing, packaging, wire and tube, plastics, renewable energy, medical devices, retail, safety and health, wine & spirits and caravanning. MDS runs branch offices in Shanghai and Beijing with a workforce of some 70 full time employees. The worldwide outbound exhibition business (trade shows in Düsseldorf, Germany and other leading Messe Düsseldorf Global Shows) is organized by Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd. (MDC), serving Chinese exhibitors and visitors with superior customer service from its Hong Kong branch office. Find out more at www.mds.cn.  

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    EuroShop Retail Design Award 2018 review

    Of bicycles, wines and other lovely things EuroShop RetailDesign Award: expert jury distinguishes original store concepts Cologne/Shanghai, 27 April 2018   Last Thursday evening, EHI and Messe Düsseldorf presented the EuroShop RetailDesign Awards for the eleventh time. The awards ceremony took place as part of the fourth running of the Chinese C-star trade fair in Shanghai and presented the three best store concepts. This year, the jury was won over by entries from Spain, Italy and Poland: De Vinos y Viandas in Valladolid, La Rinascente in Rome and Vèlo7 in Poznan. To come out a winner from among 85 entries, a store concept had to present a well-honed mix of store architecture, colours, materials, lighting and visual merchandising. The clear communication of the product range as well as direct means of appealing to customers were particularly important criteria for the jury of experts.     De Vinos y Viandas, Valladolid/Spain Of wines and delicacies – that’s the name of this wine shop in Valladolid in the north of Spain. With an interior that gives the impression of an optical illusion, De Vinos y Viandas is home to an imaginative rendition of the world of wine as conceived by two architectural studios. Zooco, located in Madrid, and Sandander got their inspiration for the wine shop from traditional wine cellars, but they brought this motif to life with an entirely modern and unique interpretation. The circle became the architects’ guiding theme – half-circle elements can be found throughout the wine shop’s interior. The sales counter, the tasting and display areas form the shop’s flexible focal point. The seemingly infinite shelving along the walls is home to over 1,000 bottles stored one by one, on their sides. The shop’s back wall is mirrored, intensifying the experience of the space. A contrast to the warm wooden elements, a black stone floor was chosen, which ideally reinforces the interplay of colours, shapes and reflections.   La Rinascente, Rome/Italy Located between Rome’s Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, this winner is the result of eleven years of planning on the part of the Rinascente department store chain. The Italian retailer opened its new 14,000-sqm flagship store on Via del Tritone. Each of its eight floors was designed by a different architect. The store design combines modern, light elements with rich colours and fresh patterns. Vivid yellow meets a black-and-white tile pattern, and history interfaces with the present day on the ground floor, where the Aqua Virgo can be found. This aqueduct was inaugurated by Caesar Augustus in the year 19 BC and continues to be restored on a regular basis in order to provide fountains in the vicinity with water – one of which is the nearby Trevi Foundation. The department store’s large inner courtyard houses a small building with the nickname Plazetto – this roughly translates to a “palace within a palace” – dating back to the beginning of the last century. The terrace offers visitors a panorama view of the rooftops of Rome.   Vèlo7, Poznan/Poland Located in the Polish metropolis of Poznan, Vèlo7 is anything but a normal bicycle shop. A multifunctional space for bike lovers has been created here where advice, sales and repair services are all on offer. What is more, customers have the opportunity to directly test a variety of the high-quality bikes. The special feature is that the shop’s floor plan is modelled on the structure of a bicycle frame, and the dynamic manner in which the individual rooms are partitioned has the feel of a cycling track. “Vèlo7” comes from an eponymous group of bike enthusiasts who wish to express their passion through a specialty shop and provide a home away from home for all kindred spirits.     About EHI EHI is a research, training and consultancy institute for the retail industry and its partners. It has some 80 employees. The international EHI network encompasses some 800 member companies from the retail business and the consumer goods and capital goods industries. EHI was founded in 1951. The Managing Director is Michael Gerling. GS1 Germany, a joint subsidiary of EHI (50%) and Markenverband (the Brand Association, 50%), coordinates the assignment of Global Trading Item Number (GTIN, formerly EAN) in Germany. In cooperation with EHI, Messe Düsseldorf organises EuroShop, the world’s leading capital goods fair for the retail business, and EuroCIS, where the latest products, solutions and trends in IT and security technology are presented as well as C-star for the Asian retail market.

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    EuroShop.mag – The new online magazine - facts, news, stories

    Dear Sir or Madam, dear colleagues, Please find here below our latest press release for  EuroShop 2020. You can download it as well with the following link: www.euroshop.de/PM-06-EuroShopmag-gb EuroShop.mag – This is you!   The EuroShop online magazine has all the facts, news, stories and trends from the international retail industry  There is no getting around EuroShop in retail. For over 50 years now it has been the global meeting point for the international retail scene. But EuroShop not only aspires to be the live event for retail every three years but also to provide the sector with an information and inspiration platform in between times. Which is why we have called the new Euroshop-mag into being. Not only meant as a communication hub for dyed-in-the-wool “EuroShoppers” it also addresses anyone working or interested in retail.   Year round the EuroShop.mag supplies facts, news, stories and trends from the international retail sector in German and English. The features will pick up on the big EuroShop themes, ranging from in-store through marketing and technology to Expo.   The mix matters – which is why EuroShop.mag will, at irregular intervals, feature a colourful array of columns including “Visions of Retail” with forward-looking contributions from industry professionals, scientists and influencers; under “Shopping Today” shopping behaviour and different shopping perspectives are scrutinised – at times on an international level, at others from a generational perspective. The “Exhibitor’s Corner” and the “Visitor’s Corner” present innovations and ideas from the immediate sphere of events that form part of the EuroShop family while the column “Ein Tag mit” (One Day with) takes a look behind the scenes thereby granting insights into the everyday work of different professional groups in retail.    To make the EuroShop.mag as entertaining as possible the contributions will be presented in various formats such as features, news, interviews, videos and photo galleries; formats will range from clear facts and information preparation to infotainment and entertainment elements – always with a focus on retail, needless to say.  The URL reads mag.euroshop.de but the EuroShop.mag is, of course, also accessible through the usual EuroShop website www.euroshop.de. The next EuroShop in Düsseldorf will be held from 16 to 20 February 2020.

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    C-star 2018 concluded with record-breaking visitor figures

    C-star - Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends All about Retail concluded its fourth edition with record-breaking visitor number in Shanghai New International Expo Center on April 28. This year, the fair attracted 12,979 visitors (2017: 8,476) from 44 countries and regions, which is a 53% increase from last year, once again demonstrating C-star’s commanding position as the most international and professional business platform in Asia’s retail industry.     After three successful days and numerous opportunities to explore the cutting-edge technologies, inspiring and new solutions in shop-fitting, lighting, retail technology and visual merchandising, the high-quality fair attracted visitors from renowned retail brands including Sephora, Louis Vuitton, C&A China, Watsons, Max Mara, Apple, Uniqlo, MINISO, Superdry etc converging for the 2018 show.   The collocation with Hotel Plus - Total Solution for Commercial Properties resulted in a valuable synergy welcoming 21,674 visitors from across the globe to experience the retail innovation and technologies at C-star. The two shows created a unique one-stop commercial space platform and all-inclusive destination to explore solutions.   Ms. Elke Moebius, Global Head - Retail & Retail Technologies of Messe Düsseldorf, commented: “I am extremely pleased with the performance of the show’s 2018 edition. The vibrant Chinese retail market is still growing rapidly and thus ready for investments as well as looking for inspiration. Especially the ReTailor Hub, the Designer Village and the Technology Village represented the dynamic retail market perfectly. At C-star, Chinese retailers can find everything for their store - starting from store planning to furnishing and furniture.”   Both exhibitors and visitors impressed by trade fair high quality This year, C-star welcomed 110 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions to showcase product solutions for Shopfitting, Lighting & Design; Retail Technology; Visual Merchandising, Marketing & Event Construction, perfectly suited to the Chinese retail market. Both exhibitors and visitors were very satisfied with the professionalism, networking opportunities and multiple chances to conveniently gather information and meet the right people along with the high quality of solutions offered to retailers.   As the returning exhibitor at C-star, Mr. Simon Bo, Managing Director of Octanorm China highly commended the result from the show: “Our company provides tailor-made solutions for shopfitting and presentation products such as shelf systems, displays, counters and much more. At C-star this year, we mainly showcase our well-rounded lighting frames with 3D lighting in deep view effect. This year gave us a deep impression on its large number of visitors and the buyer professionalism. During three-day show, we met a lot of target customers such as designers, advertising agencies and suppliers for exhibition construction builders. Overall, we were really satisfied with the result and the fair was a great success.”   Visitors were also inspired by the innovations seen at the fair. Ms. Song Yang, Designer from Bestseller commented: “ It was my first time to visit C-star and I came here to source for the shopfittings such as wood and iron application, window design etc. The exhibitors were highly professional and showcased a variety of product solution which perfectly reflecting the new retail demand. Overall it was a fruitful experience.”   C-star Retail Forum generated outstanding responses Taking the theme of "Shape a Human Centered Retail World", the C-star Retail Forum was highly praised, with high audience participation. During the three-day session, retail experts and industry leaders from around the world shared valuable insights and analyses on the new retail development such as customer-centered strategies trends.   Ulrich Spaan, Vice President of the German research institute for retail industry, EHI Retail Institute, praised the audience: "The international as well as Chinese speakers convinced with great expertise and gave valuable insights and practicable recommendations. The highly professional audience used the chance to discuss the global trends in retail and there was a great interaction."    As some of the highlights at C-star Retail Forum, the presentations from renowned retailers like Kidsland, Lawson, Lidl, Metro, and MINISO revealed valuable insights and creative inspiration. Mr. Wang Pu, Sales Manager from Okamura furniture and Logistics System Co., Ltd, praised the quality of speakers, saying: "I came here to learn about the latest retail trend and produce innovation especially the case study from convenience store and hypermarket. I think the C-star Retail Forum this year was quite successful with many high-profile speakers among which the case study from Lawson and Metro impressed me a lot. Our company is specialized in store fixture and this forum gave me a great opportunity to reach those speakers and learn the demands of the retailers. It was an inspiring experience. “   ReTailor Hub brought collaborative “New Retail” Collaborative innovation of fashion and technology motivates apparel as well as leisure and entertainment industries to pursue new retail. As one of the stunning hotspots for C-star this year, ReTailor Hub attracted a large number of visitors with its extraordinary and unique examples of new retail.   In ROCOCO and Classic Teddy’s special event zone, 11 store design and equipment suppliers were set to fully display the innovative product solutions, including store designs, light rendering, light box identification, fitting magic mirror, remote video store inspection system, face recognition technology, LED screens, display containers and shelves and model props, which received a high attention from the visitors.   The next C-star will continue to collocate with HOTEL PLUS - Total Solution for Commercial Properties from April 26-28, 2019 at Shanghai New International Expo Center. The two shows are set to maintain the leading position as a one-stop commercial space platform in China.   For more details about C-star, please visit the official website: http://www.c-star-expo.com/en/.   See you next year!   - End -     Press Contact: Ms. Renee Zhao Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd Tel: +86-21-6169 8335 Fax: +86-21-6169 8301 Renee.zhao@mds.cn www.mds.cn     Organizers background information Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Established in 2009, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) is a subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, one of the world’s top 5 exhibition organizers. MDS is committed to introducing world’s No. 1 trade fairs to China and to providing Chinese and international customers with superior exhibition services. MDS is successfully holding more than 20 leading trade fairs and conferences in China, covering the industries of printing, packaging, wire and tube, plastics, renewable energy, medical devices, retail, safety and health, wine & spirits and caravanning. MDS runs branch offices in Shanghai and Beijing with a workforce of some 70 full time employees. The worldwide outbound exhibition business (trade shows in Düsseldorf, Germany and other leading Messe Düsseldorf Global Shows) is organized by Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd. (MDC), serving Chinese exhibitors and visitors with superior customer service from its Hong Kong branch office. Find out more at www.mds.cn.        

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    C-star 2018: Global Opportunities and Cutting-Edge Solutions in Retail

      C-star’s fourth edition builds excitement across the breadth of the retail industry, as exhibitors and trade professionals prepare for the exciting start of this year’s trade fair. C-star 2018, themed “Shape the Future of Retail” welcomes a total of 110 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions to Shanghai New International Expo Centre from April 26 – 28, ushering in new retail solutions. As an official satellite of EuroShop in Düsseldorf, the world’s no. 1 retail trade fair, C-star will continue to present innovative products and creative solutions from international suppliers focusing on the Chinese retail market.   Powerful Supporting Programme On-site   C-star has become the proven platform for finding market opportunities in China, rightfully gaining support from a wealth of regional and international industry associations as well as insights from experienced and successful retailers. The collaborations are highlighted by C-star’s exciting event programme including an insightful C-star Retail Forum, EuroShop Retail Design Award (ERDA) and C-star’s Brand Zone.   This year’s C-star Retail Forum brings a world-class list of retail experts and retail solutions providers to Shanghai. Leaders from established brands including those from Abuzz, Garde, Lawson, Lidl, Metro, Miniso among others, along with retail experts from EHI Retail Institute, Eurasia Global Limited, China Shopping Center Development Association of Mall China, Australia Azurium (Shanghai) present an exciting and insightful wealth of keynote speaker to the forum.   The EuroShop Retail Design Awards (ERDA) again bring international flare to C-star 2018. This year's successful participants were required to combine unique shop architecture concepts, colors, materials, lighting and visual merchandising. From a variety of 85 proposals from 27 countries 35 projects entered the final round. The jury of international retail experts selected the most impressive and prolific retail design trends around the world and EHI and Messe Düsseldorf will jointly celebrate the winners of the eligible award on the evening of April 26, after the first day of C-star 2018.   C-star’s Brand Zone is a premium stage for exhibitors to present their newest and most promising products and solutions to the audience across the globe. For 2018, innovative solutions providers including Shopworks, Futuristic Store Fixtures, Koscar, BOE , CITYINNO etc share their newest shop concepts, smart retail products and solutions to a globally connected audience of shop managers, solutions seekers, and wide range of retail professionals.   ReTailor Hub – New highlight for 2018   C-star 2018 will debut the exciting ReTailor Hub, a brand-new solutions platform offering visitors customized and unique selection of display and store solutions to maximize customer acquisition and retention. Driven by adaptation to new technologies, the upgrade of consumption experience and the new form of retail business, the inaugural edition of C-star’s ReTailor Hub features key brands ROCOCO and Classic Teddy, bringing innovative atmospheres and stylish aesthetics. Along with the aforementioned brands will be 11 retail solution service providers offering solutions to visitors in a 300-square-meter area filled with smart retail and technologies.   Further Inspiration from Designer & Technology Village   C-star will again present chic and compelling designs with artistic flare and smart technologies, brought by Designer Village and Technology Village. Within these special zones, leading design studios from all over the world will build and display unique and aesthetic-focused stand designs to offer visitors with advanced and all-encompassing service solutions. Magnificent visual merchandising and shop design will bring an extraordinary shopping experience for a new era of retail shops and their prospective customers. New retail concepts focus on intelligent omnichannel-solutions to provide a seamless shopping experience for the customers. C-star will present the most promising solutions for the integration of those services as well as innovative communication tools.   C-star continues its successful collaboration with HOTEL PLUS Shanghai – Total Solution for Commercial Properties, offering ‘The World of Retail’ - a one-stop retail and commercial space platform. The complementing sectors offer strategic synergies for participants and stakeholders while covering broad topics of retail design and equipment, franchise chains andself-service The World of Retail is the premium choice to find opportunities, discover market trends and showcase new products and technologies in the retail space.   Register Online for the Best Show Experience and Free Gifts   Before visiting C-star 2018, visitors are strongly encouraged to pre-register online to claim complimentary value-adds, including an official Show Catalog (valued at RMB 100), Free entry to C-star 2018 (valued at RMB 30), and Free access to the entire lineup of forum sessions.   Visitor pre-registration will be closed on Apr 25. You may pre-register through C-star website or official WeChat channel.   Pre-register Now to claim your free ticket, value adds, and enjoy fast and effortless access to C-star 2018.   For more details about C-star, please follow C-star Facebook as follows or visit the official website: http://www.c-star-expo.com/en/.   Follow C-star @ C-star Expo     - End–       Press Contact: Ms. Renee Zhao Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Tel: +86-21-6169 8335 Fax: +86-21-6169 8301 Renee.zhao@mds.cn www.mds.cn   Organizers background information Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Established in 2009, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) is a subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, one of the world’s top 5 exhibition organizers. MDS is committed to introducing world’s No. 1 trade fairs to China and to providing Chinese and international customers with superior exhibition services. MDS is successfully holding more than 20 leading trade fairs and conferences in China, covering the industries of printing, packaging, wire and tube, plastics, renewable energy, medical devices, retail, safety and health, wine & spirits and caravanning. MDS runs branch offices in Shanghai and Beijing with a workforce of some 70 full time employees. The worldwide outbound exhibition business (trade shows in Düsseldorf, Germany and other leading Messe Düsseldorf Global Shows) is organized by Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd. (MDC), serving Chinese exhibitors and visitors with superior customer service from its Hong Kong branch office. Find out more at www.mds.cn.  

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    C-star 2018 to debut "ReTailor Hub – Tailoring the new world of retail" to create high-tech retail stores

      As the most influential retail event in China, C-star 2018 - Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail will be held from April 26 to 28 at Shanghai New International Expo Center. With “Shape the Future of Retail” as its theme, C-star welcomes more than 120 exhibitors bringing their newest and most innovative products and solutions in store design and equipment, lighting, smart retail technology, visual merchandising, POP marketing and exhibitions and events in a comprehensive way. C-star 2018 is set to be a high-quality trade show presenting the latest store designs and smart retail for retailers.   In the era of digitalization, “data-driven” is undoubtedly the core feature of new retail, utilizing offline data through the Internet of Things (IoT), face recognition, mobile payment, virtual reality (VR) and other technologies to leverage online consumer data. This allows for precise store management and personalized messages to be delivered in the offline environment. Such a "data-driven" method is adopted by many retail product solution service providers for offline stores.   Driven by adaptation to new technologies, the upgrade of consumption experience and the new form of retail business, C-star will debut "ReTailor Hub" this year, featuring two major retail brands – the fast fashion brand ROCOCO and the Classic Teddy dedicated to culture and creation. The brands will create an upgraded store featuring stylish aesthetics + smart retail in a 300-square-meter area together with 11 retail solution service providers, so as to bring a high-end visual feast combining innovative designs and black technology.   Collaborative innovation of fashion and technology motivates apparel as well as leisure and entertainment industries to pursue new retail   In ROCOCO’s special event zone, 10 store design and equipment suppliers are set to fully display ROCOCO’s product solutions, including store designs, lighting rendering, light box identification, fitting magic mirror, remote video store inspection system, face recognition technology, LED screens, electronic price tags, display containers and shelves and model props. As the chief planner of ROCOCO’s store, CNC-EXPO vividly illustrates the smart, personalized and customized clothing new retail by the combination of ROCOCO’s concept of female fashion and hottest intelligent face analysis technology and store management solutions in current new retail era.   In ROCOCO’s store, you will experience a complete set of shop management solutions, see the architecture that combines intelligent perception device, cloud service and mobile terminal, and learn ways to manage the display of the entire store remotely. Based on intelligent face analysis technology, the membership recognition system can capture and identify each customer who enters the store; you will also see online check-in, online comment book and other solutions in ROCOCO’s events.   In addition, you will experience the 3D fitting magic mirror, a fitting solution to instantly measure users’ physical parameters. Meanwhile, users can switch from one model to another quickly, trying on a variety of clothes as they like, sharing the new styles with friends and family via email and social media. A 3D data virtualization solution required by FXMirror can be created within 5-10 minutes with only two photos on the front and back of new clothing.   Sponsors participating in the events include CNC-EXPO (Store Design Solution), Citylux Technology (Lighting Solution), Zhejiang Shanyoung (Shop Fitting), COSUN Technology (Visual Merchandising), COSUN Sign (Visual Merchandising), NEXNOVO Technology (Visual Merchandising), Guangzhou Yuanrun (Retail Technology), Elegant Mannequin (Visual Merchandising), BOE (IoT Solution) and Wandianzhang (Retail Technology).   As a parent-child platform containing various business sectors such as “food, amusement and shopping”, the Classic Teddy is positioned as “indoor Disney” and “parent-child day trip”. With the IP of Teddy Bear as its theme, it integrates different forms of business, including amusement park, catering, gift pavilion, kids styling, kids photography, DIY, small theater and birthday party to create a fun platform to provide both kids and parents with diverse and pleasant experience. In the Classic Teddy Bear World’s special zone for branded store upgrade events, this leisure and entertainment platform featuring culture and creation will showcase the Teddy Bear Theme Cafe on the spot, demonstrating a British-style humanistic atmosphere.   As an equipment service provider in the retail technology field, Koscar focuses on experience-based marketing and interaction solutions. You will experience a revolutionary smart ordering system where a visual menu will be presented on a smart multi-person interactive table that is water, oil, heat and explosion-proof. It completely replaces the traditional artificial supplementary ordering method. This smart ordering system has no language barriers, and the menu can directly enter the kitchen or drink bar, realizing efficient ordering and order generation as well as seamless connection to all ordering POS cashier systems.   The “ReTailor Hub” is located in Hall N5 of Shanghai New International Expo Center. Pre-registered visitors can enjoy free admission and feel the charm of upgraded stores featuring innovative designs and smart retail.   You can visit C-star's website: www.c-star-expo.com, or scan C-star’s official WeChat account (ID: c-star-expo) for online pre-registration and quick entry. Pre-registered visitors will also receive gifts from FC Bayern Munich, the Official Gift supplier of C-star.

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    C-star  from 26 to 28 April 2018 in Shanghai: EuroShop Retail Design Awards glamorous Highlight

    Lifestyle and Meeting Points: ERDA shows Retail Design Trends around the World C-star, Shanghai’s International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail, has become successfully established in China as a special trade fair for retail, notching up three events now since 2015. As an official satellite of EuroShop in Düsseldorf, The World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair, C-star is an annual event presenting innovative products and creative solutions from international suppliers especially for the Chinese market. The highlight in the ancillary programme for C-star is the presentation of the coveted EuroShop Retail Design Awards 2018 (ERDA). For what is already the eleventh time now these awards for the world’s best retail store concepts will be presented by Messe Düsseldorf jointly with the EHI Retail Institute. Current store concepts are characterized by a mix of different colours and styles – from industrial look to country house – and a broad range of various materials. Stores create hybrid spaces, mixing traditional retail, tasteful catering, personal services, art galleries, literary readings and lots more. For this year's EuroShop Retail Design Awards, 85 nominations were received from 27 countries. From these superb examples, EHI shopfitting expert Claudia Horbert distils the most important trends in international retail design.   Cozy and Curated Wood remains the most favourite element for store construction and determines the ambiance of a store. Dark wood creates a cozy, warmer and more genuine atmosphere than the clear design language of the Scandinavian style or sharp black-white contrasts. The mix of different materials convinces by setting finely adjusted contrasts together with a creative and exceptional Visual Merchandising for a custom design of the retail space. Visual Merchandising enables a high flexibility of the space and creates the stage setting for ever-changing story-telling around curated collections. Curated retailing offers the customer a first pre-selection by grouping products across existing categories and product lines, creating new lifestyle-worlds and meeting points. Modern stores understand food service, cafés and restaurants as important parts of the shopping experience. Today they have become a commodity in modern retail spaces of nearly all retail sectors.  In the food business supermarkets set the focus on freshness, local products and more personality as well as customer proximity. They present themselves as new neighborhood markets turning customers into guests.    Customer Engagement In a world of a growing competition from suppliers online, modern stores have to create unique environments that seduce, attract and entertain customers at the point of sale. Whether it is an iconic architecture, an enhancing store design, lighting or the embedding of state-of-the-art media in the shop fitting, everything has to follow a joint dramaturgy to give customers that certain kick. Thus the dovetailing of physical and online stores is generating new retail and interior design concepts.  There will be more interacting applications which engage customers such as interactive fitting rooms, web bars for online selection, stock checking and ordering, social-media based customer communication, receipt-free purchasing and mobile payment for a quicker checkout process or special configuration tools to support the customers to create their personal items.   The winners… To emerge from the competition as a winner, this year's participants again had to appeal to customers with a successful combination of shop architecture, colours, materials, lighting and visual merchandising and convey an unambiguous message in relation to their product offering. On the evening of April 26th, to kick off the C-star trade fair in Shanghai, EHI and Messe Düsseldorf will grant the EuroShop Retail Design Awards to three stores with the best concepts. 

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    A “High Level Dialogue of Retail Trends” Worth Attending

    At 16:00 of April 26, Mr. Wang Wei, China Strategic Advisor of Azurium of Australia, and Professor Helmut Merkel will co-host the C-star 2018 Summit on “The Trends of Retail Industry in 2018” at the C-star Retail Forum. As former chairman of the EU Retail Association and the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (IGDS), Professor Helmut Merkel is highly regarded in the international retail industry and served as chairman for the previous C-star Retail Forums. We’ve selected topics and invited participants after prudent consideration, not only reflecting upon the general needs of the participants, but also focusing on integrated topics and trends.   Figure 1: Professor Helmut Merkel hosts the C-Star Retail Forum In terms of retailers, we have invited innovative leaders from Kidsland and MINISO, who focus on children - the magnet for today’s family consumption, as child-related forms of business are playing an increasingly significant role. Kidsland has wisely assembled LEGO and Chicco, leading international brands which bring high-quality products and excitement to children in China. Opening stores are in MixC, Hang Lung Plaza, Wanda Plaza, Taikoo Hui, Kerry Parkside and regional landmark shopping malls in many second- and third-tier cities. MINISO has seized the market for household products – a market holding great potential (even more than that garments), actively responding to feedback and continuously pursuing innovations to globalize its brand. When we visited Australia’s shopping malls last year, the General Manager of Westfield introduced the excellent Chinese innovative retail brand to us.   Figure 2: C-Star 2017 conference site Professor Helmut Merkel has elaborated on four factors driving the development of the retail industry at several professional regional and international conferences – factors of retailers, Brands, Developers, and Evolving Technology. Aligning with the goal of C-star, we are pleased to invite representatives from ABUZZ Australia. During February of this year, Mr. Wang Wei visited the ABUZZ showroom in Sydney. ABUZZ provided a full set of hardware and software guidance equipment for Westfield, which enabled us to understand ABUZZ’s in-depth cooperation with many leading shopping centers such as Westfield in this field.  ABUZZ also serves the two established Sun Hung Kai shopping centers in Shanghai: IFC and IAPM. Changhong Decoration, a Chinese company, is a regular exhibitor at Euroshop, world’s largest retail expo and C-star, It’s official satellite exhibition in China. With the entrepreneurial philosophy and unremitting efforts of always putting quality first for the last 20 years, the company has become a leader in the Chinese shopfitting industry, creating stylish and high-end store for Apple, Samsung, Huawei and other international brands. BASELINE from Hong Kong is a cutting-edge lighting design technology company, serving almost all luxury brands represented by LV along with others such as Starbucks and Decathlon. The company provides lighting technology solutions for the improvement of retail space and customer experience. Figure 3: Guided touch screen at Westfield in the ABUZZ showroom   Figure 4: Vertical display of Shanghai IAPM shopping mall in the ABUZZ showroom C-star brings global professionalism and forward-looking concepts while integrating perfectly with the retail industry in Chinese. The trade fair offers solutions and insights for the entire spectrum of the industry, from investors to shopping center personnel to developers looking to improve the retail atmosphere. Retailers, service providers, or anyone within the commercial real estate industry chain can visit and connect with retailers and service providers while gaining unique perspectives from cutting-edge industry leaders. C-star offers the opportunity to grasp emerging trends and gain beneficial insights into commercial opportunities.   Figure 6: Onsight at C-Star In the backdrop of a booming commercial retail industry, the “industry meeting” with numerous names requires our guests to prepare properly before visiting. The professional exhibition and conferences organized by C-star has been designed for the entire retail industry chain, with the benefit of visitors in focus. Meet us at C-Star 2018 at 16:00 of April 26 in Hall N5 of Shanghai New International Expo Center!   Figure 7: The author delivers a speech at the previous C-Star conference   Figure 8: The author and Helmut Merkel, CEO of EHI Retail Institute, exchange ideas with conference guests

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    Press Release | March 2018 - C-star 2018: Shape the Future of Retail

    C-star 2018 Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail Shanghai New International Expo Centre Shanghai, China, 26 - 28April 2018   C-star 2018: Shape the Future of Retail   C-star’s fourth edition is fast approaching, bringing a dynamic exposé of trends, knowhow and insights inspired by a new era of retail. Trade professional throughout the retail industry prepare the exciting showcase, themed “Shape the Future of Retail” as we step into a new era of retail technologies and solutions.   Retail industry players prepare the next exciting edition of C-star, bringing new and revolutionary products and solutions to Shanghai New International Expo Centre from April 26 -28. The organizers are excited to broadcast updated participation by key exhibitors and renowned speakers, collaborations and show features coming next month.   Key Exhibitors from Across the Retail Industry   C-star 2018 takes the theme of “Shape the Future of Retail” to tap into a new era of innovations. Additional excitement and anticipation comes from a top-class list of featured exhibitors,Including:   Shopfitting and Store Design YIREE, MAX BRILLIANT, YONGCHENG, FUTURISTIC, GARDE, SCHWEITZER, OCTANORM, REDMAN   Retail Technology BOE, KOSCAR, BIZERBA, DRAGON GUARD, LIANBAI ELECTRONICS  , ABUZZ   Lighting and POP marketing HERA, BOHNACKER, CITYLUXLED,SELF, CITYLUXLED, JUMP DISPLAY, CANDEX, COSUN     With the transition to a new era of design and technology, C-star’s Designer and Technology Villages will offer premier platforms for new display technologies and stylings coming to market. The debut of a brand-new Retailor Hub will offer trade professionals customized and unique solutions to gain an edge on customer acquisition.   FC Bayer Munich (Shanghai) – Official Gift Supplier for C-star 2018   C-star is excited to announce that FC Bayern Munich, sports club and organization based in Munich, Germany will be the Exclusive Gift Supplier for this year’s C-star Expo. FC Bayern Munich is among the most successful clubs in the history of German football, maintaining top rankings and dominant position with 27 titles, winning 9 of the last 13 in the top tier Bundesliga professional association football league of Germany.   FC Bayern Munich will offer a variety of gifts to visitors of C-star 2018 and plans to arrange a visiting group to tour C-star 2018, bringing special guests to tour the expo and experience the exciting lineup of onsite activities.   In turn, C-star’s organizer will help promote FC Bayern Munich through its online promotional channels and marketing assets in China. C-star looks forward to a successful cooperation with FC Bayern Munich (Shanghai) and the benefits of incorporating an exciting and sporty angle to the world of retail.     Confirmed Speakers for C-star Retail Forum 2018   This year’s Retail Forum focuses on movement, change and customer behavior, taking the motto of ‘Shape a Human Centered Retail World’, inviting industry experts, commercial real estate developers, shopping center operation executives, retail brand owners and other renowned guest speakers to jointly share insights on development trends, omnichannel retail, space design and aesthetics.   A wealth of influencers and experts have joined this year’s forum to both not only to share insights from their valuable experiences, but also to gather new industry knowledge and to expand business networks. This year’s keynote speakers include Volker Glaeske - CFO & Executive Board Member of LIDL Hong Kong Limited, Christian Studer - CPO of Xovis, Dr. William Wing-Yan LO - Vice Chairman of Kidsland International Holdings Limited, Angela Chung, Founder of Display Community, Jeroen de Groot – COO of Metro, Zhang Sheng - Vice President, Lawson China and Craig Phillipson - Managing Director of SHOPWORKS LIMITED. We expect an inspiring and thought-provoking exchange of industry expertise at Retail Forum 2018.   Register Online for Best Show Experience and Free Gifts!   Visitors are strongly encouraged to pre-register before visiting C-star to claim complimentary value adds and ensure the best show experience. Value adds for online pre-registration include Complimentary Show Catalog (normally RMB 100), Free entry to C-star 2018 (normally RMB 30), and Free access to the entire lineup of forum sessions. A few lucky pre-registered visitors will also receive gifts from FC Bayern Munich, the Official Gift supplier of C-star 2018!   Pre-register Now to claim your free ticket, value adds, and enjoy fast and effortless access to C-star 2018.   Successfully pre-registered visitors will receive the confirmation letter after the registration. Please bring along your name card and pre-registration confirmation letter (or registration number) to C-star and check in at the pre-registration counter for an official visitor badge.  

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    C-star 2018 Official Gift Supplier - FC Bayern Munich (Shanghai)

    With C-star 2018 just over a month away, the organizer is excited to announce that FC Bayern Munich, German sports club based in Munich, Germany has confirmed to be the Exclusive Gift Supplier for this year’s C-star Expo. The Bavarian sports club, the most successful club in German football history and one of the most successful European football clubs internationally, will also arrange a small visiting group to tour C-star 2018 along with its onsite activities and forum.   As the official gift supplier, FC Bayern Munich will offer a variety of gifts to C-star visitors. C-star has offered to help FC Bayern Munich gain exposure on all online promotional platforms in China. The cooperation will strategically stimulate the high attention of retail and football industry.   The organizer looks forward to a successful collaboration with FC Bayern Munich and wishes the club continued success in German football.     FC Bayern Munich is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria (= Bayern), Germany. The club was founded in 1900 and it is best known for its professional football team, which plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system, and is the most successful club in German football history. Bayern has reached ten European Cup/UEFA Champions League finals, most recently winning their fifth title in 2013 as part of a continental treble. Bayern has also won one UEFA Cup, one European Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup and two Intercontinental Cups, making it one of the most successful European clubs internationally and the only German club to have won both international titles. Since the formation of the Bundesliga, Bayern has been the dominant club in German football with 27 titles and has won 9 of the last 13 titles.  

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    Exhibitor Interview: Yongcheng Display

    Yongcheng display, the whole industry chain covering the one-stop service provider with 23-year experience. Since us established in 1994, we have provided professional services to 1,000 stores in more than 30 countries around the world. And we had undertaken the design and development of a number of international first-line commercial brands, commercial space design, layout planning, props r&d and manufacturing, terminal engineering installation and supporting logistics system and after-sales service. At present we have 300 employees in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Xi 'an.   (LACOSTE Asia Pacific)    (C & A China)  At this year's C-star exhibition, Yong Cheng will bring new design concept elements together with display props formed using different materials, with powerful functionality that is suitable for commercial use. Today, C-star interviewed Mr. Chen Wei, president of Yongcheng, to learn more about their corporate philosophy.     C-star 2018  N5- N5F21   C-star:Mr. Chen Wei, as an international custom fixture manufacturer you serve top branded retailers and chain stores for their fixture needs. From your perspective what are the most important trends in shop fitting globally?   Mr. Chen: All our cooperation customers are global middle and high-end chain brands, and according to our 24 years cooperation experience, we have noticed that the trend of the shop fixture is constantly changing as follows: 1. The customer interaction is matter: the display fixtures in the large stores provide more pleasure for customer during shopping,so it is very important for the customer to interact directly with the products. The height, size, opening, structure and multimedia presentations of the shop fixtures can help customers experience products. 2. Diversified materials use, environmental protection materials, modular combination: the materials is not limited to metal, wood, acrylic, more like cement, ceramics, paper and other materials. For a long time, Yongcheng actively uses environmental protection and degradable materials throughout the whole process of design, manufacture, sales and disposal, and strives to produce environmentally friendly or less harmful products, and meets specific environmental protection requirements of renewable resources. Coordinating with customers to develop modular shop fixtures, meet the needs of repeatable, composable and reducing the front-end production cost, quickly replace. 3.The design of shop fitting tends to be young, colorful, and diversified. Young fashion brands have increased, or the brand has started targeting young customers, so that shop fixture design style is young and fashionable. The tone, language and shape of the shop fixtures help building the customer's impression of the brand.   C-star:What materials are the most requested in store design and are there differences between the countries?   Mr. Chen: Now, the main materials used in the production of the shop fixtures are metal, wood and acrylic .in fact, the materials used are mainly determined according to brand positioning,design requirements, products design, customer level and product price. The materials used in chain stores are no great differences among countries, but in some countries, there must be corresponding material certification   C-star:Because of the enormously growing e-commerce retailers use more and more technology-based solutions in brick-and-mortar-stores, i.e. interactive fitting rooms, web bars and so on. How does that influence the store design? Mr. Chen:  The influence can be divided into the following points: 1. The compatibility of store fixtures, multimedia and technology, matching,security and rapid disassembly and combination of multiple functions. 2. The use of multimedia and technology has made the new retail, unmanned retail stores increasing,  which greatly changes the way of the original shop fixtures placement. The purpose is to determine how to display from the perspective of customers and the flow of people, so as to enhance the interaction and stimulate consumption.     C-star:Overall what do think is the reason for your international success? Mr. Chen:  Yongcheng has always been not a simple manufacturer. We provide customers with technical support from brand analysis, collaborative development, process optimization and development design.   Our key to improve customer satisfaction is putting the customer's business results in the first place, on the premise of understanding of customer expectations, to provide the best products and service experience. Providing customized products and solutions to customers on the basis of this core value, focusing on the fast development of the shop fixture market, seeking opportunities, developing overseas business with our customers successfully.  

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    Airport Retail——“Waiting” to Make Money

    As airports become more and more like shopping malls with better consumer experience, passenger satisfaction increases subsequently, which leads to doubling of retail spending at the airport. According to statistics, every 10 minutes of increase in passengers’ stay at the airport will lift retail sales by 16%.   Take Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs as an example. The airport currently has two passenger terminals that are home to a total of about 300 retail shops. According to its Annual Report 2016/17, retail and advertising revenue has increased by 3.7% to HK$7.803 billion, accounting for 41.9% of total revenue. The growth of airport passenger traffic promoted opening of new retail outlets at the airport, and a large number of retail promotional activities added to the increased revenue. This not only drives the growth of the airport's non-aviation sources of revenue(hereinafter referred to as “non-aviation revenue”) but also benefit the overall airport revenue.     The non-aviation revenue of airports accounts for more than 70% of the total revenue in developed countries, but for less than 50% in the Chinese mainland. This results from the fact that commercial operations are mainly monopolized by airports and remain at the initial stage of development. They are currently limited to providing only basic public services, leaving huge room for improvement of revenue from comprehensive commercial operations.   C-star Retail Forum 2018 has invited Mr. WANG Wei, China Strategic Advisor of Azurium of Australia as keynote speaker to share insights into airport retail in new convergence era.   WANG Wei Keynote Speaker   Mr. WANG Wei, China Strategic Advisor of Azurium of Australia, Executive Director of Shanghai XiAiDi Consulting Firm, Expert Committee Member of Mall China and Shanghai Shopping Centre Council, Member of Academic Board of Asia Pacific Commercial Real Estate College (APCREA). With over 20 years of experience in the retail industry and commercial property development, WANG Wei has held senior positions in various multinational companies and recognized brands such as Inchcape, FILA, Volvo, Swire and CP Group.     He has participated in landmark shopping mall projects in first-tier Chinese cities, such as Super Brand Mall, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Retail and Shanghai Center Tower. He has contributed significantly in the roles of positioning, design coordination, marketing and leasing of projects. Due to his unique work experience on all three platforms of the shopping mall industry as a retailer, developer and consultant, and his outstanding professional communication skill, Mr. WANG Wei has established a broad industry perspective and extensive network of connections.   WANG Wei is also a popular columnist and renowned commentator of China’s major industry media sites including Wingshang Web and Real Estate Magazine. He also acts as a professional trainer for Wingshang College and APCREA, and provides a training program for major industry leading enterprises such as China Resource Land, Wanda Group and Suning as well as many medium and small developers, sharing insights and inspirations that are up-to-date with the world yet appropriate for China’s conditions, with both international height and domestic depth.  

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    Forum Schedule - C-star 2018 Retail Forum

    "Shape a Human Centered Retail World" With rapid growth of technology and demand of new shopping mode, concept of ‘new retail’, ‘unmanned retail’, ‘omnichannel’, and ‘smart retail’ emerges one after another, which brings both opportunity and challenge to all retailers. What is world retail going? Will technology innovation be the best way to catch consumers? How will shopping mall follow up consumption upgrade? How does new brand survive in new retail world? What is ‘dream design’ for brand owner?   While the retail world keeps spinning, is it a real ‘people matters’ world or just blind developing world?   The C-star Retail Forum thus hold the theme of ‘Shape a Human Centered Retail World’, offering a platform where industry authorities and experts, commercial real estate developers, shopping center operation executives, retail brand owners and other renowned guest speakers discuss diversified themes such as "global retail development trends", "The future of omnichannel retail", "consumption upgrade", and "space aesthetics". This premier platform offers an outstanding venue for industry professionals to gain new industry knowledge and to expand business networks.   Forum Venue Hall N5, Shanghai New International Exhibition Center 2345 Longyang, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China   Forum Date 26th -28th, April, 2018   Retail Forum 零售论坛 26.04.2018 全球零售行业趋势  Retail trends around the world 10:30-11:00 2017全球零售发展趋势 Retail 2017 in West and East - Learnings and Trends Helmut Merkel博士, 主席, Eurasia Global Limited Dr.Helmut Merkel, President,  Eurasia Global Limited 11:00-11:30 In 2017, China retail has undergone evolutional development, many concept raised like ‘New Retail’, ‘Smart Retail’, ‘Unbounded Retail’ influenced industry direction. How do these concepts practice? What will be the trend in 2018? How will China retail influence the world?   中国零售业趋势及发展方向 China’s retail trends and development 王耀 先生,副会长/主任,中国商业联合会/中华全国商业信息中心 Mr. Yao Wang, Vice-Chairman/Director, China General Chamber of Commerce/China National Commercial Information Center   Japan is always leading in Asian retail market, not only from retails innovation but also service priority. From VDM in UNIQLO shopfitting to product design of MUJI, from update customer experience of AEON to human care of family-mart, what is successful recipe of Japan retail? 11:30-12:00 日本零售趋势 Japan’s retail trends 内野俐 先生,日本富盟可思董事 Mr. Uchino Satoshi, Director, FUMKSS 12:00-13:30 午餐休息  Lunch Break   大融合时代的零售布局  Integration: The future of retail world 14:00-14:30 Airport in no longer a place for waiting, it is becoming part of trip. Good airport experience can also affect a quality travel. As a leader in shopping mall, Westfields also operate main airport business in America, How westfields mode used in airport, and what will be trend? 交融时代机场商业的新视角 Airport Retail in new convergence era 王玮 先生, 中国战略顾问, 澳大利亚奥瑞姆公司 Mr. Wang Wei, China Strategic Advisor, Australia Azurium Shanghai 14:30-15:00 Child is always the focus, as exclusive agency for many toy brands like LEGO, SIKU, Chicco, HASBRO, Schleich, Kidsland has 16-year history in toy chain, with hundreds of shops and online shop in TMALL, JD.COM, Amazon, successfully practicing omnichannel business. 玩具连锁在中国市场的发展 Toy Chain in China market 盧永仁 先生,副主席,凱知樂國際控股有限公司 Mr. William Lo, Vice Chairman,Kidsland International Holdings Limit 15:00-15:30 Start online business in Tmall, JD.COM and then has pop-up store in Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou in 2017, Lidl begins their China strategy. How is their performance, What will be the next step? Lidl ‘s China strategy Mr.  Volker Glaeske,  CFO & Executive Board Member,  LIDL HONG KONG LIMITED   15:30-16:00 As a fast growing company, MINISO has perfect performance in 2017 with 2600 shops covering 62 countries. What is their recipe, how is their strategy? 新零售模式的解密:名创优品0到100亿的秘密 Decryption of the new retail model: from 0 to 10 billion - the secret of MINISO 成金兰 女士,品牌中心负责人, 名创优品股份有限公司 Mrs  Jaylin Cheng,  Brand head,  Miniso Corporation 16:00-16:45 Panel Discussion     27.04.2018 大融合时代的零售布局  Integration: The future of retail world 10:00-10:30 Chins will experience shopping mall boom in 2018. It is estimated that it has been 60 new shopping mall in January in 9 cities, how will be these shopping mall going? 中国购物中心的机遇与挑战 Opportunity and challenge of China Shopping mall 郭增利 先生,主任,中购联购物中心发展委员会 Mr Victor Guo, President, China Shopping Center Development Association of Mall China 10:30-11:00 Metro’s China Strategy Metro HK 11:00-14:00 Lunchbreak   科技带来消费新体验    Intelligence: The upgrade of consumer experience 14:00-14:30 全球零售技术趋势及2018EuroCIS亮点回顾 World retail technology trends &  highlights of EuroCIS 2018 Ulrich Spaan 先生,副主席,欧洲流通联盟零售业研究院 Mr. Ulrich Spaan, Vice President, EHI Retail Institute 14:30-15:00 大数据持续助力新零售 Update of Big Data in new retail 吴传鲲 先生,总裁,赢商网 Mr. Wu Chuankun, CEO, Winshang 15:00-15:30 Xvois person tracking technology-new level of people countinh and flow analysis, the airport industry proven passenger flow monitoring and queue measurement system, the leading sensor technology for people counting and tracking in retail application 客流分析技术在机场零售解决方案中的应用 Person tracking technology in airport smart solution Xovis 15:30-16:00 A premium digital wayfinder product evolved over 12 years and installed across the globe with many casestudy of IFC, IAPM and Westfields. 智慧零售解决方案 Smart retail solution Abuzz Solutions Asia   28.04.2018 空间美学:以人为本   Aesthetics: The human centric brand recognization 10:00-10:30 International Retail Design Trends 2018 2018年全球零售设计趋势 Claudia Horbert 女士,店铺设计与规划研究总监,欧洲流通联盟零售业研究院 Mrs. Claudia Horbert,  Director Research Store Planning & Design,  EHI Retail Institute 10:30-11:00 Thematic shop design from Japan design concept with many successful case in shopping mall, exclusive shop 从设计角度阐述构筑主题性商业的手法 Thematic shop design 梶原  章 先生, 上海办事处负责人,  GARDE Co.,Ltd. Mr. AKIRA KAJIWARA,  Head of Shanghai office,  GARDE Co.,Ltd. 11:00-11:30 Using BIM technology, through the real 3 d collaborative design, intelligent data analysis, modeling, reduce operating costs and changes, to complete the whole process of implementation with high performance and quality. 有效利用新技术控制建店成本 Effectively use the new technology to control the cost of building the retail store 王跃,总经理,石家庄常宏建筑装饰工程有限公司 Mr Wang Yue, General Manager,  CHANGHONG DECORATION 15:30-16:00 ReTailor Hub design concept demonstration C-star 2018 Retail Forum Advisory Board Committee Dr. Helmut Merkel Eurasia Global Limited Chaiman 主席 Mr. Michael Gerling EHI Retail Institute 欧洲流通联盟零售业研究会 CEO 首席执行官 Mr. Victor Guo 郭增利 先生 China Shopping Center Development Association of Mall China 中购联购物中心发展委员会 President 主任 Mr. Wang Wei 王玮 先生 Australia Azurium Shanghai 澳大利亚澳瑞姆公司 China Strategic Advisor 中国战略顾问 Ms. Fan Jun 范君 女士 China Commerce Association for General Merchandise (CCAGM) 中国百货商业协会 Executive Vice President and Secretary General 常务副会长兼秘书长

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    CVS Partners with C-star to Present the “World of Retail” Theme Exhibition

      China International Self-service, Kiosk and Vending Show (“CVS”), hosted by China Commerce Association for General Merchandise Self-service Retail Branch and UBM Sinoexpo International Exhibition Co., Ltd. will closely work with C-star - Shanghai’s International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail, the World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair EuroShop’s satellite show in China, to jointly present the “World of Retail” theme exhibition, create a one-stop international retail exchange platform, and display a complete range of high-quality all-retail solutions. “World of Retail” Theme Zone CVS and C-star will explore business opportunities connecting upstream and downstream retail industries by integrating their resources, strengths, exhibitors and audience relationship. During the cooperation, they will work closely on marketing, business matching and summit forum efforts to ensure a high-quality event. The two trade fairs will be held from April 26 to 28, 2018 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre, concurrently with Hotel Plus, to attract over 200,000 trade visitors, including industry professionals and consumers. As a global retail-industry trendsetter based in China, C-star has been successfully held for three consecutive years since its inception in 2015. As the official satellite show of EuroShop, the world’s No.1 Retail Trade Fair, C-star presents the latest developments in global retail industry, explores emerging industry trends, builds the best exchange platform through both online and offline channels for  manufacturers and retailers from home and abroad, and is committed to providing quality and comprehensive solutions for retailers and buyers worldwide. Themed “Shape the Future of Retail”, C-star 2018 is set to attract 150 exhibitors and 20,000 visitors. It will provide a comprehensive picture of future retail developments through six featured zones, including Shop Design and Equipment (food and non-food), Lighting, Retail Technology, Visual Merchandising, POP Marketing, and Exhibition And Event Building. C-star 2018 In addition, C-star 2018 International Retail Forum will be held concurrently as a knowledge platform for the retail industry. Themed “Retail, People-Oriented”, this Forum connects domestic and foreign retail experts, industry leaders, real estate developers, shopping mall executives, retail brands and additional high-profile speakers, to create the best platform for gaining new knowledge in a wide spectrum of business areas. Hot industry topics including “Global Retail Development Trends”, “Retail Pattern In The Era Of Great Integration”, “Technology-Led New Consumer Experience”, and “Space Aesthetics” High-profile speakers from home and abroad including EHI Retail Institute, Alibaba, MINISO, FUMKSS, China National Business Centre, and Garde to share the latest retail concepts 500+ participants, including domestic and international retail trade associations, shopping malls, supermarkets, and well-known retail brands C-star Event Site After 15 years of continuous efforts, CVS has grown into a self-service and new retail trade fair recognized as most valuable, offering an all-encompassing representation of industry trends and cross-border integration platform. CVS 2018 is expected to bring more than 200 exhibiting brands, cover an exhibition area of 15,000 sqm, attract over 20,000 visitors, feature many well-known global corporate brands, and attract emerging industry players. Meanwhile, CVS comprehensively focuses on the smart retail field by concurrently holding Shanghai Smart Retailing Show 2018 and Smart Retailing Summit Forum 2018, further expanding in exhibition scale, integration of self-service and smart retail resources and to create a cross-sector event. CVS 2018 As one of the key milestones on the way to encompassing all retail formats, Shanghai Smart Retailing Summit Forum 2018 will embrace new breakthroughs:    Gathering renowned participants: smart retail industry experts and leaders from around the world will meet to share industry insights, cutting-edge technology and development trends, triggering an in-depth integration of industry, university and research 50+ government officials, associations, investors, domestic and foreign leading business CEOs and founders join in the discussion of new retail 1000+ retailer participants from various industries: well-known department stores, brand operators and e-commerce companies, opening new channels for products   40+ media outlets offering strong support: leading media coverage of the event, along with one-to-one interviews to enhance visibility   In 2018, CVS will collaborate with C-star to create a “big stage” for global self-service and smart retail brands. Join us! Visitor pre-registration is now available for both trade shows. The online pre-registration channel is now open for all visitors. Save time by pre-registering online by visiting our official websites:   C-star pre-registration: http://www.c-star-expo.com/c.aspx?id=5 CVS pre-registration: https://sinoexpo.ubmonlinereg.com.cn/Registration/default.aspx?fid=750&lang=cn&utm_source=cvshome

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    What you need to know for C-star 2018

                                                                                 As the next edition of C-star is fast-approaching, online visitor registration has now officially opened. The organizers strongly encourage visitors to pre-register online to get the free ticket and ensure the smoothest show experience this April!   If you are planning your visit or thinking about participating in C-star 2018, you may visit www.c-star-expo.com to pre-register online and enjoy expedited access to all solutions and trends about retail! You will receive the confirmation letter after the registration.   Please bring along your name card and pre-registration confirmation letter (or registration number) to C-star, and check in at the pre-registration counter for an official visitor badge.   German Pavilion returns to showcase cutting-edge retail solutions   This year, the German Pavilion will again be featured to offer innovative retail products and solutions and global insights to C-star 2018. Exhibiting in this year’s German Pavilion are multi-nationals and foreign-owned enterprises set to showcase a diverse and international product range.   The German Pavilion is set to feature an exciting array of international products and retail solutions including digital-retail and 3D modeling software, POS displays and high-quality retail hardware and advanced retail fixtures from foreign-owned enterprises. Confirmed exhibitors for this year’s German Pavilion include Jiangmen Jiechu Hardware Fittings, VKF, TENTE, PYTHA and Bizerba etc.   Confirmed Speakers for C-star 2018 Retail Forum In 2018, C-star’s Retail Forum carries the theme of ‘Shape a Human Centered Retail World’, offering an open platform where industry experts and influencers, retail brand owners, shopping center operators, established commercial real estate developers, investors and other industry professionals can collectively discuss diversified themes including “global retail development trends", "The future of omnichannel retail", "consumption upgrade", and "space aesthetics". This premier platform offers an outstanding venue for industry professionals to gain new retail industry knowledge and to expand business networks.   C-star’s 2018’s Retail Forum will feature industry experts and authorities including Prof. Dr. Helmut Merkel – retail / retail services SME owner and European lifestyle product importer, Claudia Horbert - Director Research Store Planning & Design and Ulrich Spaan - Vice President of EHI Retail Institute, Akira Kajiwara - General Manager of China Region and Director of Design of GARDE, Wang Yue - Director and General Manager of Changhong Building Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd., Victor Guo - President of China Shopping Center Development Association of Mall China, Jaylin Cheng - director of MINISO Brand Center, Uchino Satoshi - Director of FUMKSS, Wang Wei – China Strategic Advisor of Australia Azurium (Shanghai), Wu Chuankun - Chairman of Guangdong Winshang Data Services Co., Ltd.     C-star Brand Zone 2018 – ideal platform to showcase your innovative product solution   C-star’s Brand Zone has served to be the premier stage to highlight new renowned and upcoming brands in the industry – an ideal platform for new and returning exhibitors to display their newest and most popular products to a professional industry audience. In 2017, enterprises like Bizerba, Shijiazhuang Changhong, Shopworks, Saneboon, Cityinno and Koscar showcased their newest shop concepts, space designs and smart retail equipment via the C-star Brand Zone, effectively promoting new and forward-thinking formats of business to eager spectators.   A series of activities and industry insights will be disclosed at the C-star Brand Zone. We invite visitors to stay-tuned and visit the C-star website often as the programme schedule will be published in February 2018.   More details about C-star brand zone, please contact Ms. Juliet Zhu at juliet.zhu@mds.cn.     For more details about C-star, please follow C-star Facebook as follows or visit the official website: http://www.c-star-expo.com/en/.   Follow C-star @ C-star Expo      - End –  

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    Confirmed speakers for C-star Retail Forum 2018

        Claudia Horbert Director Research Store Planning & Design, EHI Retail Institute   Claudia Horbert has studied economics at the University of Cologne in Germany, before she started her career in retail. At one of the biggest department stores in Germany, Galeria Kaufhof, she learned the retail business from the scratch. Since 1999 Claudia Horbert has been working for the EHI. As Director Research Store Planning & Design she is in charge for that research area, organizes working groups, international store-check-tours as well as conferences. She is also in charge for the well-acknowlegded European Retail Design Awards and member of various juries.     Mr. AKIRA KAJIWARA General Manager of China Region and Director of Design of GARDE   He is specialized in design planning for large-scale department stores and shopping centers and also has experience in fashion luxury spaces. He was responsible for the renovation of the Umeda Hankyu Department Flagship Store. The project was awarded the Asia Pacific Property Award. He was responsible for the schematic design and environmental design of Coredo Nihonbashi Department Store. Currently, he is involved in the supervision of residential projects.     Ulrich Spaan Vice President of EHI   Ulrich Spaan has studied economics at different Universities in Germany and Italy, before he started his career in the retail. At one of the biggest grocery discounters in Germany, Aldi, he learned the retail business from the scratch. Since 1999 Ulrich Spaan has been working for the EHI. As Senior Vice President he is in charge for EuroShop  and EuroCIS and Member of the Board for both shows. He is also Director of the research area Information Technology in Retail and responsible for working groups, conferences and awards.   Prof. Helmut Merkel Helmut Merkel is owner of several SME’s, all focused on Retail and Retail services (Logistics, Sourcing, Brand Management) in Hong Kong, China and Europe. One of the major activities in China is managing a network of companies to introduce European Lifestyle products (Fashion, Food and Beverages) to the Chinese Consumer market. Before he started his own business together with a Partner, he was CE   WANG YUE Director and General Manager of Changhong Building Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd.   Director/General Manager New Industrialization Research Institute of Chinese architectural decoration industry Dean Interior design branch of China Architectural Society Standing Director China Architectural Decoration Association Standing Director China Architectural Decoration Association standard Expert Committee Expert <Technical regulations for decoration of commercial shops> Chief Editor     Mr. Victor Guo President of China Shopping Center Development Association of Mall China Vice Chairman & Secretary-General of China Federation of Urban Commercial Outlets Construction Administration Vice Chairman of Council of Asian Shopping Centers   Mr. Victor Guo, President of China Shopping Center Development Association of Mall China; Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of China Federation of Urban Commercial outlets Construction Administration; Vice Chairman of Council of Asian Shopping Centers. Mr. Guo was previously served in Ministry of Commerce of China, Ministry of Internal Trade of China and State Bureau of Internal Trade of China respectively. As one of the earliest professionals in researching and promoting shopping centers and retail property in China, Mr. Guo has more than 15 years of industry experience. He emphasizes the complementary effect between professionalization and industrialization and the business idea integrating “real estate, finance, commerce and society”. Mr. Guo has also published numerous professional theories and relevant literature in commercial real estate and shopping center industry.   Jaylin Cheng director of MINISO Brand Center   Jaylin Cheng, is the director of MINISO Brand Center and director of MINISO the Belt and Road Initiatives Office. She is also the Vice President of Guangzhou Chain Operation Association, and the representative of post-85s professional manager. As the director of MINISO Brand Center, Jaylin boldly proposed to fully use the advantages of the company's existing fans resources. She exchanged resources with external companies to generate substantial income for the company. At the same time, to make MINISO become the new icon of the foreign fashionistas, she deepened the entertainment marketing strategies to enlarge the overseas markets. She  created the  "zero advertising", a word of mouth marketing, to realize the transformation of MINISO from traditional retail entity to Internet plus retail entity. As one of the youngest executives in MINISO Co., Ltd. , Jaylin had been invited to many large retail conferences to deliver keynote speeches. She is a new generation of brand promotion spokesperson of MINISO.     Mr. Uchino Satoshi, Director of  FUMKSS   Uchino Satoshi, born in August 1945, studied commerce in Meiji University in1963. Started from 1967, Uchino Satoshi worked as a trainer for salesperson. In 1984, he worked in human resource department. In 1986, he was the household department minister. In1988, he became the manager of Matsuya. In 1995, he was the Vice Chairman of Kanto department association. In 2005, Uchino Satoshi opened FUMKISS in Tokyo. In Beijing, he opened a consultant company in 2010 and another FUMKISS in 2012.   Mr. Wang Wei, China Strategic Advisor of Australia Azurium Shanghai   Executive Director of Shanghai XiAiDi Consulting Firm, Expert Committee Member of Mall China and Shanghai Shopping Centre Council,Member of Academic Board of Asia Pacific Commercial Real Estate College(APCREA). With over 20 years of experience in the retail industry and commercial property development, Wang Wei has held senior positions in various multinational companies and recognized brands such as Inchcape, FILA, Volvo, Swire and CP Group.   Mr. Wang Wei has actively participated in the industry development of landmark projects of first tier cities in China, e.g. Super Brand Mall, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Retail and Shanghai Center Tower etc. With a broad vision and professional expertise, he has contributed significantly in the roles of positioning, design coordination, marketing and leasing, facilitating the perfect bonding of advanced international trend and local culture conditions in the Chinese industry market. Due to his unique working experience on all three platforms of the shopping mall industry as a retailer, developer and consultant, and his outstanding professional communication skill, Wang Wei has established a broad industry perspective and extensive network of connections. Wang Wei is also a popular columnist and renouned commentator of China’s major industry media sites including Wingshang Web and Real Estate Magazine etc. He also acts as a professional trainer for Wingshang College and APCREA, and provides a serious training program for major industry leading enterprises such as China Resource Land, Wanda Group and Suning etc. as well as many medium and small developers, sharing insights and inspirations that are up-to-date with the world yet appropriate for China’s conditions, with both international height and domestic depth.     Mr. Wu Chuankun Chairman of Guangdong Winshang Data Services Co., Ltd.   With more than ten years of experience in the field of commercial real estate, Wu Chuankun has a profound insight into the development trend of the industry. Founded in 2010, Winshang has become the most influential media platform in China Retail business fields and the strongest path between the place and the brand. Started in 2015, Winshang big data strategy was the first institution in China to focus on the construction of data in the field of retail and commercial real estate, which is committed to providing the most effective data and data based on solutions for shopping centers, brands and industry institution.  

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    German Pavilion returns and showcases the cutting-edge retail solutions

      This year, the German Pavilion will again be featured to offer innovative retail products and solutions and global insights to C-star 2018. Exhibiting in this year’s German Pavilion are multi-nationals and foreign-owned enterprises set to showcase a diverse and international product range. Jiangmen Jiechu Jiangmen Jiechu Hardware Fittings Co.,Ltd is a foreign-owned enterprise,located in the fertile hinterland of the Pearl River Delta, adjacent to the Silver Island Lake, with the convenient traffic and transport conditions. Our company mainly produce the hardware products (specialized metal wire products), products are including all kinds of display hooks ,trolleys, baskets ,shop fixtures and all kinds of  professional hardware fittings.    Products: display hook , wire shopping basket ,partition grid , promotion, basket ,display stand Accessories for all kind of slatwall ,pegboard , gird panel and tube, they were used for display from the supermarket and retail store . Made by metal and coated by powder ,zinc and chrome .     VKF VKF China is branch company of VKF Renzel GmbH from Germany. We are focusing on shop fitting and POS displays for over 30 years.   TENTE Thanks to proximity to our customers and the highest product quality, TENTE holds a leading position in a variety of markets. What began as a factory has developed into a group of companies that today does business all over the word. In close cooperation with our customers, experienced developers and designers create innovation products that are manufactured using production techniques of our own. This approach guarantees the uncompromising quality that makes our castors the no. 1 choice. In over 100 countries customers today hold the reliability, long service life and functional design of our products in high esteem.     PYTHA The PYTHA software company PYTHA Lab was founded in 1978, driven by the idea to develop professional 3D CAD software that is easy to learn and fun to use, and completely “Made in Germany”. Bizerba (China) Since 1866, Bizerba has significantly defined technical developments in the handling of food and is today represented in 120 countries. The customer base includes global-operating companies in trade and industry as well as retailers, bakeries and butcheries. With around 3.900 employees worldwide and with our headquarters in Balingen, Germany, Bizerba has now been in the same family   More German Pavilion Participants: SCHWEITZER VERTRIEB GmbH Schweitzer is an international leader in the development and realization of retail landscapes. More than 1,000 employees create unique shopping experiences all over the world. Together with our design agency Interstore, we offer design, manufacturing and installation from one source while working very closely together with the client.   HERA GMBH & CO. KG Lighting systems from Hera are distinctive due to practical combination of pure functionality and attractive design. An innovative drive and orientation towards quality gives Hera a solid basis for the future. Hera is using its innovative driving force in a manor which promotes environmentally safe products. We believe environmentally clean production processes, avoidance of waste and clean recycling concept are more important than ever.。    BOHNACKER LADENEINRICHTUNGEN GMBH Bohnacker Store Solutions is a constantly growing, Europe-wide family company. We offer our staff the best prospects, exciting tasks and new challenges every day. As professionals for shop and space concepts, we put many creative ideas into practice. We develop and realize design-oriented, flexible shop design projects, always with the aim of directing the utmost attention to the product or brand.   It is of great importance for us that our employees feel happy in their work. That is why we foster an inspiring, team-oriented and respectful corporate culture.  

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    C-star 2018 Exhibitor Preview

      In four month's time, C-star 2018 will present itself with leading retail solution providers bringing the cutting edge and advanced products to the retailers across the globe. A Preview of C-star 2018 Exhibitors:   Dongguan Changan Bestfull Metal Co., Ltd Dongguan Changan Bestfull Metal Co., Ltd specialized in high quality of furniture locks, furniture hardware, shop fittings, store fixture, electronic locks and building hardware. Product sold to over 80 countries in worldwide. We have our own R&D team. OEM/ODM is available.   Read more:  www.armstronglocks.com    REDMAN Founded in Aug., 2002, REDMAN is an industry leader in the design, engineering and manufacturing of custom POP displays & store fixtures in China. It's located in Zhangjiagang, only two hours' drive from Shanghai.   REDMAN boasts comprehensive production facilities (totally around 550,000 Sqft) of metal, wood, plastic, printing, painting, powder coating, and packaging workshops. Besides, REDMAN has two warehouses in the USA, one in Los Angeles, the other in Atlanta, providing assembling, packaging, and drop-shipping services. Based on these facilities, we have been serving big brands and retailers in the USA, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Australia etc. with in-store marketing and retail merchandising solutions.       REDMAN is always pursuing customer satisfaction by providing better quality products at competitive prices and better services. We put your needs ahead of our own. When you succeed, we succeed.   Read more:  http://www.redmandisplay.com/ Aer Tai Shelf     Aertai was established in 1998 and kept a foothold on the shelf industry which has gone through 18 years development. As a medium-sized enterprise, Aertai is developing continuously in the shelf industry.    With Our continuous innovation, stable quality and excellent service for our customers have already set a good brand image for Aertai. Choose Aertai means choose the professional and perfect service.   Products include: Read more: http://www.csaertai.com Ruichen   Ruichen Exhibition is a professional retail display supplier. We specialize in manufacturing display props like shoe display, handbag display, belt display, clothes racks over 10 years. Our factory, located in Wanquan industrial park of Pingyang County, WENZHOU, ZHEJIANG, covers 30000 square meters. Our main market is  european , south America and north America countries.   Products include:   Shoes display   Handbag display     Belt display       Cloth display     Read more: https://wzrch.en.alibaba.com/ Cosun Technology   started from PMMA material industry to LGP industry, and POP LED display industries, employing a skilled workforce and advanced machineso to allow for first-class products and service for each client from all over the world.   Producer of retail lighting solutions including LED panels and variety of light boxes – slim, magnetic, fabric and LED window dipslays.    Products include: Led Window display Light panel + 3D lenticular picture   Read More: http://cosunlighting.com  

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  • Exhibitor Case Study | ICBC - 5G Smart Bank

    What can 5G bring to the world?   Industrial digitization with Internet of Everything, Smart Factory and Smart Scenic Spot Intelligent governance for smart city, smart community and smart mobility Smart life with telemedicine, autonomous driving and intelligent education   How to upgrade retail stores with 5G technology? Changhong Building Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd., our long-time friend, presents a convincing answer   Changhong Presents the ICBC - 5G Smart Bank The first 5G smart bank of ICBC Hebei Branch, developed by Changhong Building Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd., was officially unveiled at the ICBC Zhonghua Branch in Shijiazhuang.   Night view   The 5G Smart Bank of ICBC Zhonghua Branch is an attempt at digitalising conventional banking outlets with big data, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, biometrics, 5G and other cutting-edge technologies to connect financial, social and lifestyle scenarios, and to provide customers with multi-channel, all-round services and intelligent, personalised experience. It is a smart bank that works well, looks good and is fun to use.     Design theme - “Light of Dawn · Hebei”     “Dawn” is the sunshine in the morning, representing vitality and a new start. The “Light of Dawn for Hebei” entails the light of hope, expressing the vision and confidence for a better future.   The brightly-lit hall, with flowing ripples and changing colours, conveys a design language that travels through time and space, signifying the passage, evolution and development of time. Light spots and stripes extend from the exterior to the interior like sunlight, echoing the design theme. The Fuxing high-speed train on the screen in the Smart Zone tells the story of Shijiazhuang, the city pulled by train. Ornaments and accessories such as the ancient tripod from Jizhou, porcelain from Dingzhou and paper cuttings from Weixian describe the magnificence of the “blessed and beautiful land".   Futuristic Business Hall     Four "smart" themes     The 5G Smart Bank offers personal services including "Smart Hall", "Smart Finance", "Smart Livelihood" and "Smart Health”.   Smart Hall: smart environmental control and traffic management.   Smart environmental control: Intelligent environmental control through IoT sensors collecting light levels, air quality and other parameters in the hall helps save energy, reduce consumption and achieve fine management. Specific smart systems include power system, lighting system, air conditioning system and fresh air system.   Intelligent traffic management: provision of personalised services through intelligent robots, virtual customer greeting and accurate customer identification. Capturing and analysing traffic and movement inside the hall contributes to autonomous management.   Smart Finance:  Customers can select e-buy, e-life, bank cards and financial products through the "Interactive Mall" and "Wisdom Tree” platforms. Digital screens can display bestselling products and provide comprehensive services for corporate and private customers. Remote expert support enhances service efficiency. Using smart containers, customers can self-collect products booked online instead of going to the counter, which helps enhance customer experience.   Futuristic Business Hall   Smart Livelihood: “Government affairs service window" connects the government and the people, helping to build a "service-oriented government". Internet, financial institutions and e-commerce offer financial services to farmers, agriculture, and rural areas, delivering corporate social responsibility by helping with targeted poverty alleviation. Outlets with inclusive services promote inclusion, support the economy and benefit people's livelihood.   Smart Health:  Smart identification, contactless temperature measurement, regular and dynamic disinfection, among other measures, are used to prevent virus transmission.   Futuristic Business Hall   5G Smart Bank combines finance with technology for innovative development, and actively creates an integrated service system to showcase financial service innovations with modern technology. It provides a new way of thinking and transformative development for conventional banking outlets.   Standard Business Hall   VIP Lounge Project name: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China - 5G Smart Bank Address: No. 172, South Zhonghua Street, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China Area: 2,120 m² Designed by Changhong Building Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd.   As an old friend who has exhibited 6 times at C-star, Changhong Building Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd. has once again confirmed participation in C-star 2021 (Booth No. N5A18). We look forward to more innovative solutions from Changhong.  

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    Interview with David Low, CEO of Futuristic Store Fixtures

      Futuristic Store Fixtures is a store fixtures specialist serving global retail clients. At present, the company has more than 700 employees globally and has rolled out more than 7,000 retail stores across 56 countries, with the store size ranging from 1,000-40,000 square feet.   Mr. Low, as an international store fixtures specialist you serve top branded retailers. Can you give us some examples of the brands you are serving and what specific needs there were to consider?   David Low: For the last 15 years, we have been serving the core brands under US retail giant Limited Brands with proven results across the World – these include Victoria’s Secret, Bath and Body Works, PINK, and La Senza. In recent years we have also aggressively expanded to other leading global brands like Starbucks, Yves Rocher and Levi’s, across both Retail and F&B sectors in Asia. In addition, we are also serving top Chinese brands like Urban Revivo in China now. We see tremendous opportunities for brands expanding in the Asia Pacific market and see ourselves a good fit to be their strategic partner in the region.   To us, customer engagement and satisfaction is of paramount importance. We consistently strive to understand our customers’ needs, so as to review our model, methodology and cost structure to support their regional growth.   In addition, our prefabricated modularized system of producing store fixtures allows our customers to have consistent design, quality and economies of scale across their regional roll-out. Furthermore, with our production facilities strategically located across China, Malaysia and North America, we are able to deliver within a short turnaround time to major roll-out markets, especially in Asia Pacific.   From your perspective what are the most important trends in shop fitting globally, what materials are the most requested in store design and are there differences between the countries?   To start with, there is significant difference in shopfitting style between the West and the East. Western brands are very familiar with our prefabricated knock-down approach; while Asian brands tend to fit out store by store. Over in Asia, we frequently share with our customers that with a reasonable forecast, our model will be a wiser choice to ensure design and brand consistency as well as economies of scale in the long run.   In addition, Asian customers also prefer turnkey services, rather than just store fixtures alone. We have since incorporating a General Contracting arm, Futuristic Projects, which is our wholly own subsidiary, to complement our offerings so as to be able to offer holistic retail fit-out solutions to our customers. How does the growing E-Commerce influence brick-and-mortar retail, e.g. how can technology-based services be integrated and on the other hand what impact can classical retail have on online sales?   E-Commerce has definitely impacted brick and mortar retail to a certain extent, but retailers, especially those with a strong offline-to-online strategy, are quickly bouncing back with new offerings, such as experiential customer experience and mobile ordering etc. Classical retail will continue to enhance the brand positioning and market reach for retailers nonetheless. Futuristic’s strategy is then to work with these strong retail brands and continue to be their pillar of support for physical roll-out.   What major trends do you see in retail globally and what are your plans for the next 5 to 10 years?   Retail will continue to evolve with digital technologies, creating more experiential customer experiences, shortening of supply chain and any other creative & innovative offerings in every way you can think of. Futuristic will consistently improve ourselves to adapt to the changes – by digital adoption, process improvement to increase productivity, investment in our people, and expansion of our suite of offerings so as to serve holistic needs of our customers in all ways.   You achieved the “Best-Stand-Award” at C-star in 2017 for your excellent presentation. We are looking forward to your stand at the upcoming C-star. Thank you for the interview. ---------------------------------------------- Bio of Mr David Low David Low Chor Hoon is the Group Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Futuristic Store Fixtures Pte Ltd and has a PhD (Hon) in Philosophy (Business Administration), awarded to him by the University of Honolulu, USA. Having started out in the contracting business in 1979, David has over time developed, steered and transformed Futuristic Store Fixtures into a highly scalable mass-production fixtures outfit, servicing international customers across various retail sectors, including many global renowned brand names in lingerie, fashion & apparel, beauty care & cosmetics, sporting goods, furnishing and the telco industries. During the over three decades of helming the company, that has included his taking the company public, convincing new investors with his new strategic changes and then taking it private again, David’s quest was to perfect the art of retail store fixtures and this has brought Futuristic to an even wider global stage. Futuristic has since supplied to more than 7,000 retail stores, across over 56 countries, worldwide. Under his leadership, Futuristic Store Fixtures was selected as one of Singapore’s Top 50 Enterprises in 2001 while David himself was awarded Top Entrepreneur 2011 by Rotary-ASME and EY’s Entrepreneur of 2016 (Manufacturing Supply Chain) by Ernst & Young. He also clinched the EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 award and represented Singapore at the EY’s World Entrepreneur 2017 competition. While David continues to run Futuristic as a dynamic international company, with an attitude of constant innovation and evolvement, he is also a firm believer in lifelong learning and change in order for Futuristic to remain relevant in today’s constantly uncertain economy. He endeavours to keep sharing his vast experience and perspectives with people around him and to also benefit the younger generations.

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    New Exhibitor at a glance: Jump Display

    Among the various studies on consumer purchasing behavior, there’s one conclusion that "about two-thirds of the customer's purchases at the sales are non-scheduled and one-third are planned ahead." That’s why POP advertising can not only stimulate the random purchase of customers, but also effectively accelerate the decisive purchases. Therefore conveying the value of goods through POP is always pivotal to the VMD Designer. Outstanding POP marketing is able to create the all-round dimensional and best shopping environment for the customers. Today we would like to introduce Jump Display, one of the renowned exhibitors in POP marketing area. Jump Display Co.,Ltd was founded in 2005, located in Shanghai Pudong New District, Shanghai government granted Jump “high-tech enterprises". Since the establishment of the company, with the spirit of continuous innovation, Jump provides professional solutions,high-quality products and services for many international brands. The core business of Jump is Luminous products covers logo signages, light boxes, window displays, store fixtures, decorative lightings and other display props. Products are exported to Europe, the United States, Australia,Japan and other regions, and won approval and trust of customers.   Project at a galance   Windows display( acrylic sailing ship & model platform)   Windows display(metal)   LED display Windows display(LED install in metal) metal wall display (metal tube) The acrylic sailing ship is Jump made for MONGO window display)   (The satellite ball is Jump made for MONGO window display) More information, please visit http://shjump.company.weiku.com/

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    CNC – Get success done

    CNC is a company with expert services including shop decoration, commercial activities, showroom / museum, IP activities and exhibitions. We have experienced creative designers and customer service team, as well as engineering production team. We operate a large factory of 10000 square meters independently. Our products are well made. Our service is considerate. We are also one of the first companies in China to obtain their professional qualifications in exhibition engineering. We have passed the ISO9001-2008 international quality system certification.   We are committed to providing long-term store decoration, commercial activities, showrooms / museum, IP events and exhibition display services to high-end customers with high quality and service requirements. Our long term cooperation brands include: L'Oreal Group(France), (Honeys)Japan , Clarins(France), Eland( Korea), Grohe(Germany), Electrolux(Sweden) , Bosideng(China),Hisense (China), UPM (Finland), Bonfiglioli(Italy), etc. We are committed to providing high quality service to our brand.   Main Product: CNC provides service to Lancome for long period. It is a Lancome podium.   Shu Uemura is one brand from L'Oreal Group. It is a podium.   Honeys Group is the 2nd biggest listing clothing company in Japan. CNC is Honeys long-term supplier in store decoration. Grohe is one of most famous bath brand from Germany as well as CNC’s long-term client.   YSL is also one famous brand from L'Oreal Group. CNC provides service for YSL for long time.   Project Overview CNC has developed a new generation of Smart Retail Display System. ERDS, combined with IT technology, is able to achieve the new features needed for New Retail in the internet era. Which include: Display Informatization , Interactive Experience, Online purchase and Big data collection. ERDS can greatly promote sales, reduce inventory and logistics costs, reduce retail personal and training requirements and help to analyze product marketing. Further information about CNC, please visit www.cnc-expo.com.  

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    Interview with Xiamen Yiree Display Fixtures

    Interviewee: Mr. Sidney Philip, President of Xiamen Yiree Display Fixtures As a custom fixture manufacturer, you serve top branded retailers and chain stores for their fixture needs. 95 % of your products are exported to the U.S and European markets. What are the reasons why you want to play a bigger role in the Chinese retail market now and how do you want to attract Chinese retailer?   -This is a good question. Firstly, we are here to introduce our new service and new product.VR Rendering,  a New Magic Service from YIREE. The start of this sets a milestone of Yiree's strategic transfer from a traditional custom fixture manufacturer to a major integrated service company of retail space and stores designs,fixture designs and rendering as well as the interactive experience creation with core manufacturing capabilities. Smart Display Glass is  our brand new product as what we want to show in this fair , which is not only construction material but also interactive media with many benefits, environmental friendly & Energy saving, high strength, 80% transparency, etc.  Secondly, as you know, Euroshop has developed into the world's number one trade fair for retail investments since 1966. As one of the China's most international retail shows, C-Star is another "Euroshop" in China. We believe this important event will promise us the chance to market profitably and seize opportunities within China market and even the Asia market. And we  are looking forward to the interaction with all  the peer who will show up in the fair and all the visitors from all over the world.   Do Chinese retailer have different needs than European or American ones?   -Generally speaking, there's no different needs from China retailer compared with the European or American retailer. If it does, we'd like to say China retailer needs better lead time and faster service. Their project launching is moving much faster.   What materials are the most requested in store design and are there differences between the countries?   -As what we can see, the majority of materials have been used all the time are still metal and wood.  Well, in recent years more and more chain stores want their shops to look cool and unique by using many more special materials  rather than just metal and wood, such as concrete board, LED Lighting and PU sintra etc. We don't believe there are too much different material needs among the different countries. It really depends on which type of retailers and which type of brand stores you are working with.   From your experience how often do retailers change their interiors and again do the intervals differ from one country to the other?   -It's hard to tell how often the retailers change their interiors. It differs from years to days. Take Burlington Coat Factory (BCF) and Gentle Monster for example, BCF uses the same design for 5 years without change, while Gentle Monster changes their design once every 21 days for attraction and newness. The intervals also based on different brand needs. Different countries are the same story.  

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    KOSCAR INTERACTIVE CO., LTD

    Palo Alto-based technology company focused on the retail and fashion industries, providing user-centered digital solutions to classic business problems. Founded in 2009, Koscar is a global provider of intelligent digital signage systems and other interactive solutions. We work closely with our clients to develop Total Solutions based on their specific needs, offering a virtual fitting room experience for clothes shopping, digital product cataloging and interactive navigation.Engage Entertain Interact Koscar strives to bring rich digital experiences to in-store customers by allowing them to virtually try on many outfits and provide new ways to interact with merchandise catalogs. Only Koscar offers the complete package of market-ready proprietary software and hardware designed to help retailers better engage with their customers     Basic information of Interviewee and answers to the following 3 questions   Name: Li Bin Job Title/Department: Marketing Manager Company: KOSCAR INTERACTIVE CO., LTD Website: www.koscar.cn   C-star: Do you have new product and technology which will be displayed at C-star? Koscar: AR Interactive sandbox, New Program   C-star: What are your company's expectations for participating in the C-star Koscar: Improve the visibility and influence of the company and develop global customers   C-star: Why did your company support our C-star as always? Koscar: C-star has a certain influence in the retail trade show. The visitors quality is high and we can meet more potential customers.  

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    SANEBOON (BEIJING) AUTODOOR CO., LTD.

    展商风采 I 北京信步自动门有限公司 Company Profile Saneboon (Beijing) Autodoor Co., Ltd. provides high-quality automatic door products for all kinds of building entrances. As one of the “Top Ten Companies” in China’s automatic door industry, we always provide state-of-the-art products and services. Today, Gatestar launched by Saneboon will give customers new value. Gatestar is specially designed for commercial storefronts and building offices. Its unique structure and manual/automatic control technology allow the “smart experience starting from the door” to come true.   Key Products and Overview The door leaf of GS5 products uses 8+12A+8mm hollow tempered glass, which can improve the strength of the door body and has a better insulation and sound isolation performance. Provided by top international suppliers, the automatic door machine is smoother and quieter during operation. The designers also draw inspiration from the insulating and warm edge properties of the insulating glass to make color separation for the front, making the appearance and quality even more unique. Another highlight is the perfect combination of the automatic main door and the manual auxiliary door.   GS3 products integrate the autodoor with the manual door. The door leaf uses 6+9A+6mm hollow tempered glass, which not only improves the heat insulation of the automatic door, but also enhances the sound isolation level, creating a quieter business environment. In addition, the structure and appearance of the door leaf, especially the height of the upper folder, also reach the ultimate level. We have reduced the height to an unprecedented level, which has completely changed the appearance of the automatic door, giving you a refreshing impression.  GSF products have the function of both the automatic main door and the manual accessory door. Moreover, the sliding fan and the fixed fan of the autodoor can be pushed outward by 90 degrees, which satisfies the demand for wide openings under certain conditions. In addition, the designers have employed the hidden design for the evacuation device, thus guaranteeing GSF’s evacuation function and high visibility.   Basic information of Interviewee and answers to the following 3 questions   Name: Pei Ruixia Job Title/Department: Minister of Operation Department Company: Saneboon (Beijing) Autodoor Co., Ltd. Website: www.saneboon.com   C-star: Do you have new product and technology which will be displayed at C-star? Saneboon: New products: Brand-new Gatestar Storefront Door New technology: Integrated manual and automatic functions, integrated main door and auxiliary door; new button open mode; all-aluminum structure integrated beam; unprecedented energy-saving technology.   C-star: What are your company's expectations for participating in the C-star? Saneboon: We hope to provide “Saneboon” Gatestar series of products for more domestic and foreign retail store owners and introduce the products to more friends inside and outside the industry at C-star.   C-star: Why did your company support our C-star as always? Saneboon: C-star enjoys a strong influence and premium customers. We will continue to support C-star.    

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    Premium Exhibitor I Shenzhen COSUN Lighting Technology Co., Ltd.

    Shenzhen COSUN Lighting Technology Co., Ltd. (or called COSUN Lighting), which is affiliated with COSUN Group, has more than ten years’ experience for designing, manufacturing and selling in the signs and retail industry, and is one of the main manufacturing and suppliers who is specializing in lighting products. With high quality and excellent service, our products have been one of hot sales in the Europe, American, Asia & Pacific and Australian markets. Making perfect products and providing best service is our aim, we’ll pay more attention to management and service. Our main products are light panel, Swing Snap light boxes and LED window display. Light panel: relative to the traditional light bar & light transmission uneven display of the light, the use of laser light guide plate light guide uniform light uniformity, can be well applied in the retail industry in the exhibition, light boxes and other products. Max size :2m*3m Laser light guide plate using pulse control by laser in the acrylic plate carved out of the concave light guide point, the use of laser network density, size, to adjust the light guide plate uniformity and luminous efficiency. Relative to the crossed light guide plate is more in line with customer customization requirements. The LED Light Panel from COSUN Lighting is new innovate light source that is designed to be ultimately slim, even illumination and customizable to your design. This new innovate technology and design have been shown in all types of markets such as Retail, Signage, Display& Fixture, and Architecture and Design. Thin is in! Sleek and contemporary, Swing Snap light boxes are only 4/5” deep. These functional snap- open metal light box displays utilize new edge-lit technology to brighten your Duratrans graphics, posters, and advertisements while grabbing your intended audience’s attention. Suitable for the retail industry in accordance with the new plan to replace the demand for light. LED window display it’s very easy to put and change the picture using the magnetic lock. Ultra slim, thickness only 8mm-12mm. Horizontal or vertical; single or double sided. Can be hung either as a single light panel or as set of panels running vertically form ceiling to floor. It’s widely used in shopping center, photo studio, exhibits display, window display and etc. Our main markets are North America, Europe and Asia, the main customer types are design companies, shop brands, engineering companies, etc.   Click here to visit the Web page    

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    C-star 2017 - Grand Opening of the most international Retail Fair in China on April 26

    The third edition of C-star - Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail will be held from April 26 to 28, 2017 at Shanghai New International Expo Center. As one of the most international and professional platform tailored for the retail industry in China, C-star features four main product categories including Shopfitting, lighting and store design; Retail technology; Visual merchandising and marketing and Stand construction.   This year, C-star collocates with HOTEL PLUS to foster the cooperative development between retail, commercial properties and hotel industry, jointly offering a unique one-stop commercial space platform and all-inclusive solutions. The two shows span over 200,000 sqm of exhibition space in 17 halls and are expected to attract upwards of 100,000 visitors from around the world.   Highlights: Leading enterprises showcase the latest cutting-edge shop solutions C-star 2017 brings together 105 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions exhibiting the latest in retail technologies and product solutions. A wide range of industry-leading enterprises will be present at the trade fair to explore business opportunities and promote industry communications. Renowned brands participating in C-star 2017 include:     Shopfitting Futuristic Store Fixture(Singapore), who has realized concepts for Victoria's Secret, Levis, Gap or Ralph Laureen; Schweitzer Logistics (Italy), with customers like Armani or Dunnes Food-Stores; Shanghai Shopworks Display ( China) who work for Ralph Laureen, Michael Kors or Kate Spade; Crazy Colors Decoration (Italy); Tateyama (Japan); Cityinno, provider for facility environment design and Arcnode(China / France) etc.   Retail Technology Bizerba(Germany) with its wide range of products and services; Saneboon Autodoor (China), specialized in entrance system's R & D; SES-Imagotag (France), leading in electronic shelf labeling, or Kaoscar Interactive(China), an enterprise of multimedia terminals.   Lighting Innovations in lighting are shown by leading companies like CNLight (China) , or Self Electronics(China)- among many others.   Visual merchandising Being a great topic at C-star from Mannequins to Displays will be represented by companies like Pearl Mannequins (Japan), Matrix Frame (Netherlands), VKF Display (Germany), Genesis ( China) or Windo Displays (China / Netherlands) .   Interaction: C-star Retail Forum This year, the C-star Retail Forum presents international and Chinese retail experts who will be sharing their knowledge and experience about the topic of "The Retail Revolution in China: The Concept of New Retail and Solutions of the Future" offering the ideal platform to discuss the introduction of the latest retail concepts from overseas markets to the Chinese retail industry. Under consideration of a rapidly changing environment, it will be of special interest to see how China can better and innovatively incorporate e-commerce into the retail landscape.   As one of the highlights at C-star Retail Forum, the panel session co-organized by Winshang, the leading commercial properties portal in China, will feature the topic of "How to enhance new shopping experiences in the age of new retail." Among numerous acknowledged speakers are Mr. Wang Yueqing, Business Development and Governmental Affairs Director at K11; Mr. Wei Jianping, General Manager of Shanghai Joy City and Changfeng Joy City; Mr. Shen Wei, General Manager of Hema Xiansheng Mr. Li Xiaopeng, Founder of Chic Bus as well as Mr. Wang Zhigang, CEO at VIMIU.   Convenience: New Services New for this year, visitors and exhibitors may utilize the C-star Business Matchmaking System, an interactive online and offline tool to set appointments prior to the exhibition. Visitors preview the exhibitor information, make appointments and plan ahead of time. Likewise, exhibitors can prepare for appointments in advance.  The C-star Brand Zone Area - with a presentation area and a meeting room - offers another unique opportunity to efficiently getting adequate information for specific needs.   Hotspots: Designer Village and Retail Technology Village C-star’s Designer Village continues to be the perfect area for international design agencies to showcase unique concepts and inspirations. It offers an intensely rousing atmosphere with high architectural appeal, complete with a coffee bar and lounge area for meetings. One of the impacts of fast developing technology is that it brings the real world and the digital world more closely together. C-star Retail Technology Village will present advanced products from big data, artificial intelligence, mobile payment, logistic services and other innovative solution providers to show you the fineness of scene marketing, big data management, and how big data drives future retailing.   Support: Major industry associations along with retail experts’ participation As C-star gains in momentum and influence in China's retail industry, major industry associations are lending full support to the trade fair, with participation from various associations such as:   1.EHI Retail Institute, bringing a number of top retailers from Europe to the fair; 2.China Commerce Association for General Merchandise (CCAGM), participating the trade fair with market leading general merchandise enterprises; 3.Shanghai Chain Enterprise Association, bringing a number of top retail franchise stores from Shanghai to the trade fair; 4.Overseas Education College of Shanghai Jiaotong University, attending the trade fair with retailers from China Chain Enterprise CEOs EMBA programme; Visitor pre-registration will be closed on Apr 25. You may pre-register through C-star's official WeChat channel. Pre-registered visitors will enjoy free admission to the show (visitors without pre-registration can purchase admission tickets at RMB 30 per person).   As the official satellite expounder EuroShop - the world's leading trade retail trade fair, C-star benefits from being a unique business and knowledge platform and will continue its splendid success in China.   For more details, please scan the QR code to follow C-star official WeChat account, or visit the official website: www.c-star-expo.com. See you at C-star 2017!      Official WeChat   Press Contact: Ms. Renee Zhao Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd Tel: +86-21-6169 8335 Fax: +86-21-6169 8301 Renee.zhao@mds.cn www.mds.cn   Organizers background information Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Established in 2009, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) is asubsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, one of the world’s top 5 exhibition organizers. MDS is committed to introducing industry leading trade fairs to China and providing Chinese and international customers with superior exhibition services. MDS is successfully holding more than 20 leading trade fairs and conferences in China, covering a broad range of industries including printing, packaging, wire and tube, plastics, renewable energy, medical devices, retail, safety and health, wine & spirits and caravanning. With a workforce of some 70 fulltime employees, the company’s head office is located in Shanghai with a branch office in Beijing. The worldwide outbound exhibition business (trade shows in Düsseldorf, Germany and other leading Messe Düsseldorf Global Shows) is organized by Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd. (MDC), serving Chinese exhibitors and visitors with superior customer service from its office in Hong Kong. Visit www.mds.cn for more information.  

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    Industry experts to discuss the concept of New Retail and Consumption Upgrading trends at C-star Retail Forum

    The concept of New Retail is based on a rapid rise of the middle class demographic and consumption upgrading; pursuit for personalized consumption and special requirements for services would trigger holistic upgrading of consumption. Only by fusing and jointly developing e-commerce businesses and traditional retailers can we satisfy the new trend of consumer needs.   As one of the most important C-star supporting programs this year, the C-star Retail Forum takes the theme of “China's Retail Revolution: New Retail concepts and Future Solutions”. The Forum is designed to promote knowledge exchange among industry elites from both Chinese and overseas retail fields, elaborating on new retail demographics, value propositions, expanding new and revolutionary retail visions and explaining how the Chinese retail market is changing. Overseas markets can introduce foreseeable philosophies into China to demonstrate how China’s retail industry makes innovative development while integrating e-commerce and how to make use of New Retail to maximize consumption. The Forum invites representatives from the industry’s leading retailers, suppliers and service providers in China and the Asia-Pacific in addition to representatives of government, associations, and research & education institutions. More Details as follows:   Keynote Speakers - At a Glance Seol Do Won Vice Chairman, Korea Chainstores Association (KOCA), Korea Topic: Korea's Retail Trends   Dr. Chatrchai Tuongratanaphan Executive Director , Thai Retailers Association Topic: Thailand Retail industry – Trends, innovation and opportunities   Wei Wang Strategic Advisor, Australia Azurium Topic: Advantages and opportunities brought by physical stores   Mr. Victor Guo Director, Mall China Shopping Center Development Committee Topic: Retail Nature and Thinking of New Retail   WINSHANG Micro Forum Knowledge Exchange Topic: How to Utilize New Retail to Upgrade Consumer Experience   Mr. Deng Junwen General Manager, Shanghai Shengeng Industry Development Co., Ltd., Zhonggeng Group Topic: Scenario Application and Prospect of Commercial IP   Ms. Wu Yanni Co-founder & COO, Penguin Guide, leading retail KOL in China Topic: How to Grasp Trend of Consumption Upgrading from a Niche Market   Silvio Kirchmair CEO, Umdasch Shopfitting Group Topic: Bricks-and-mortar shops are on the move – Offline strikes back! Hubert de Malherbe President Designer, Malherbe Design   Please make pre-registration in the expo to feel latest wave of retail forum!   >> Pre-registration for visitors

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    C-star Invited to the 15th China Department Store Summit on March 30-31

    C-star team accepts invitation to the 15th China Department Store Summit scheduled on March 30-31, 2017 in Sofitel Wanda Beijing to further promote C-star brand.   Themed,“Huge Changes in Retail”, the Summit highlights pivotal topics including “fusion, coordination, stimulus, empowering, iteration, value chain and new ecology”. By interpreting the policy documents such as Opinion of the State Council General Office on Pushing forward Innovation and Transformation of Physical Sales, it elaborates on new requirements made by the supply-side structural reform for innovation and transformation of retail industry, and provides guiding proposals for future development of retail enterprises.   The annual event China Department Store Summit is hosted by China Commerce Association for General Merchandise, CCAGM. As the official association supporting C-star, CCAGM again invites C-star to set up a booth in the Summit so as to provide face-to-face consultancy for CCAGM members to visit C-star in 2017.   >> Pre-registration for visitors

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    Premium Exhibitor - GSAN

    Guangzhou City GSAN Science & Technology CO.,Ltd, establish in 1998, specializes in R&D, production, operation, sales and service of POS system, cash box, barcode printer, barcode scanner, feed roller and related products. GSAN invites you to witness all-new retail experience in Shanghai New International Expo Center fromApril 26-28. Stand No: N5Y07 1. Company competency GSAN consists of a 1,700m2 factory and office building in Guangzhou as well as 1,000m2+ of warehouse and 100m2 product showroom space. GSAN also has a large factory in Hunan Province equipped with fully-automatic production line, which greatly improves capacity and ensures best-quality products at most competitive price.   2. GSAN employees GSAN’s 100 employees includes 6 engineers and 12 quality control personnel, with branches which can be found in major cities in China. GSAN has eight departments of foreign trade, in which employees possess specialized knowledge in international trade, and wonderful language skills (three employees have eight-year foreign trade experience). 3. Brand GSAN has 19years of experience in the POS system industry with GSAN○Rregistered in 102 countries in the world. 4. Business Development Every year, GSAN participatesin CES in Las Vegas, US, CEB in Brazil, GITEX in Dubai, CEBIT &EuroShop in Germany, Computex in Taipei and Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China.   5. OEM and after-sales service The different LOGO designs and materials effectively meet your needs. You enjoy free-of-charge repair and replacement of parts and components for GSAN products during the one-year warranty period. 6. Main products 15.4'' wide screen (16:10; support SSD and HDD at the same time; high resolution 1080*800; support VFD; support fan-free main board; stable and solid; stylish appearance)         

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    German Pavilion will present cutting-edge retail technologies from Europe

      Building upon last year’s successful cooperation, the German Pavilion will once again participate in C-star 2017 to present cutting-edge products and technologies from Europe to an audience of leading companies and decision makers from China and other regions in Asia. dlv - Netzwerk Ladenbau eV (the German Association for store fitting), one of the German Pavilion initiators, will accompany the German delegation and provide professional advice.   An overview of German Pavilion exhibitors:

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  • Hermès opens store in Wuhan, Missoni in Chengdu

    China remains a market full of potential for the luxury industry, which hopes to overcome the current difficulties there due to the pandemic. The country saw its growth precipitated in the second quarter due to prolonged lockdown measures in several regions. However, this has not made luxury brands less enthusiastic about the region and they are continuing to expand there, as shown by Hermès and Missoni.      Hermès has opened a new store in Wuhan, within the new shopping centre Heartland 66, which opened its doors last year. From the store’s opening on July 13, it has seen long queues at its doors. The new address replaces a former point of sale which Hermès had opened in the city in 2012.    The store’s realisation was entrusted, as with its other locations, to the Parisian architectural firm RDAI which took its inspiration from the city of Wuhan, a meeting place of French and Chinese cultures, and the unique geographical location of the central Chinese region of Wuhan, divided by the Yangtze River, the brand announced in a press release.  The ground floor of the store houses Hermès’ silk, leather goods, ready-to-wear, and men's footwear collections. Upstairs, shoppers will find the brand’s homeware collections and the mezzanine features ready-to-wear, women's footwear, and accessories, including jewellery and watches.     Missoni has opened its second flagship store in China. Following its first store opening in Shanghai in November, 2021, the Italian brand has just set up shop in Chengdu with a 185 square-metre store in the city’s Yintai Center In99 shopping centre. The store houses Missoni’s spring/ summer 2022 men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections, its beach collection, and its line dedicated to the home.    The store was developed by Milan-based architectural business BBA Studio, run by architects Barbara Ballabio and Andrea Burgio, using eco-friendly, sustainable materials. The store’s façade features Missoni’s signature zigzag pattern, which features on many of its textiles. “The designers’ idea was to create a neutral environment where the clothing and accessories’ colours and textiles can be the real stars,” the brand said in a statement.   

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    PLAYMOBIL opens first China store

      PLAYMOBIL, one of the world's top ten toy brands, launched its first China store in Shanghai on July 8.   Located in Xuhui district, the Shanghai flagship store features diversified interactive experience programs and creative courses, as well as a café run by baristas with intellectual disabilities.   Founded in 1876, PLAYMOBIL is a brand under the Horst Brandstätter Group, which is headquartered in Germany. Today, the company has more than 5,000 PLAYMOBIL figures and playsets that can be found in 100 countries worldwide.  

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    Famed British Corner Shop Fortnum & Mason to Open Tmall Store

    The 315-year-old British retail and hospitality brand Fortnum & Mason is moving into the frontier of modern retail with the opening of its official store on China’s cross-border online marketplace, Tmall Global.   The online shop will debut on June 18, 2022 during China’s 6.18 mid-year shopping festival. Fortnum & Mason is working with ecommerce accelerator Pattern for the launch, part of a larger move to expand its online business to China. This online expansion follows the 2019 opening of the brand’s first fully owned and operated shop and restaurant in Asia, in Hong Kong.   Founded in London in 1707 after Queen Anne gave her footman William Fortnum permission to sell discarded candles from St James’ Palace, Fortnum & Mason has enjoyed a close relationship with the British Royal household ever since — including holding several “royal warrants” (permission to supply goods to members of the royal family) throughout its history for both Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales.   With its shop in Hong Kong and through tourist and other activities, the brand already has strong awareness among Chinese consumers, which it hopes to capitalize on with the opening of its Tmall Global flagship. Pattern will act as Fortnum & Mason’s trade partner in the endeavor, supporting every aspect of running the Tmall store.   The store will feature a curated selection of Fortnum’s most famous products, including teas, biscuits, hot chocolate, wine and spirits, teaware and wicker hampers. Additionally, Fortnum & Mason will work with Pattern to complement its range with product and brand content to further build awareness and engagement with Chinese consumers, including plans for livestreaming on Tmall’s Taobao Live platform.   Pattern is an established Tmall trade partner and works closely with a number of Western brands in China to accelerate their online sales. Pattern buys stock from the brands it works with and then supports every aspect of trading on their Tmall store.   “For centuries, Fortnum’s has thrived on delivering a sense of pleasure for our customers and we are delighted to share that with a new audience in China,” said Carmen Chiu, Regional Managing Director of Asia Pacific at Fortnum & Mason in a statement. “We are excited and proud to establish our brand and bring a piece of Piccadilly to our Chinese customers before they visit us in London and Hong Kong. We are also very excited about the journey ahead which will provide us a great deal of learning of the Chinese market as an international brand.”  

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    Welcome to China’s new neighbourhood stores

    A new retail model is emerging in China’s residential neighbourhoods as well as in smaller fashion commercial districts and retail complexes – best described as the new neighbourhood store.    The dimensions of these stores need not be large. The space can be more about the pleasures of experiential retail — in line with current retail trends — encouraging communication with consumers and interaction about fashion. From a brand’s perspective, it’s a chance to experiment and connect.    Rather than standardised product displays, neighbourhood stores place higher significance on creating a sense of affinity between product and customer and nurturing a special atmosphere.    The template first appeared outside China. In 2018, Nike launched Nike by Melrose, the first Nike Live experience store, on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Created as a hub for members of the brand’s NikePlus running community, it has the energy of a pop-up and an experimental edge (including automatic vending machines). The store arranges goods according to the shopping preferences of local consumers, adjusting them regularly to respond to purchase data.    In 2020, Nike opened similar neighbourhood experience stores in Taikoo Hui in Shanghai and Sanlitun in Beijing. Both stores are warm and bright with product displays that are responsive to consumer purchase data, fitting rooms with natural light, a yoga room and a gym. Consumers can immerse themselves in the intimate, relaxing, friendly vibe. The stores also have a neighbourhood community sharing area, a member-exclusive Unlock Box and other in-store special services and products.    In the Nike by Jing’an WeChat group, a customer service staff member is on duty daily to share the store’s latest news and products. The group description lists expectations for how its members should behave, striving to create a relaxed and friendly community.   Nike by Melrose is a live concept store that sits on West Hollywood's famous Melrose Avenue.   Shanghai’s new neighbourhood stores   Now, this trend is turning local. Chinese online women’s fashion retailer Short Sentence opened its first boutique on Shanghai’s Anfu Road in January, seeking to create a similar atmosphere. In April, the store held a first Next-Door-Neighbour gathering, hosted by representatives from the shop’s retail design team AIM, urban culture platform SandwiChina and guests from the community who shared stories about the store space, life and history in the Anfu Road neighbourhood.    Short Sentence founder Guan Lin discussed Anfu Road’s status as a Shanghai fashion landmark with a diverse and harmonious atmosphere — the very reason that she chose Anfu Road as the location for the brand’s first physical store. The new 100-square-metre store aims to project the warmth of a neighbourhood shop — slightly set back from the street, it has a small garden installation at the entrance that offers a welcoming contrast to the bustle of pedestrians passing by, providing a space to rest. The store’s layout recalls a workshop space, presented as a gathering place for creative, innovative people.   Nordstrom Local concept stores in New York accept returns from retail rivals such as Macy's and Kohls.    Also opened this year near Short Sentence is furniture store Cabana, located close by at Shanghai’s Kerry Centre. Cabana has produced a map marking the route between the stores. The map highlights neighbourhood stores that a shopper might pass by on the way, such as Juanjuan Old Tailor Shop, Bank Gallery, Jicheng Watch & Lock Repair and Hongyi Grocery Store. “I chose a bunch of ‘handy stores’, which I think are the ones that save your life,” says Demos Zhu, co-founder of Cabana, discussing the map.   A real neighbourhood needs some real neighbourhood stores, insists Demos, pointing out the barbershop opposite Cabana, which has been there for many years. The shop is only 10 square metres and is not heavily branded: Demos sees this kind of place as key to keeping the street filled with life. “I think it’s hard to find other roads like Anfu,” he says. “I don’t want it to be completely occupied by stores that went viral online,” he says.   Creating a community    The concept of a neighbourhood store offering an experience is extending well beyond fashion and furniture. Nio House, described as a “lifestyle sharing space”, has been created by electric automobile manufacturer Nio, with branches in several cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. A Nio House has a multitude of rooms for exhibitions, dining, reading and discussion. Nio users can also invite friends for a test drive or to participate in themed House activities.    Nio House has been developed to bring a stronger sense of community to the Nio brand, which is best known for its family cars. Its customers mostly live in first- and second-tier cities, with 70 per cent married with at least one child. The lifestyle spaces are typically located in urban shopping malls, where families tend to shop.    The key to a good neighbourhood store is finding a neighbourhood with an atmosphere compatible with the brand. While Anfu Road is a high-profile Shanghai example, another might be Chengdu’s Chunxi Road area. A block full of good neighbourhood stores can really slow consumers down, encouraging them to look around.    In Shanghai, another street with this atmosphere is Wukang Road, but online hype has increased the footfall of tourists and had a negative impact on the street. Demos thinks that only streets where locals want to shop capture a real sense of neighbourhood. “Of course, young people from outside Shanghai come to Anfu Road too, but we get a lot of locals too – that balance is crucial to getting the store exposure while developing the business,” he says.    Customers can drop off and pick up clothing at Nordstrom Local concept stores.       A comparison might be made with Nordstrom Local, a merchandise-free concept launched by Nordstrom in 2017, offering digital order pick-up, primarily as support and service units for the department stores proper. These small units aim to tap customers wherever they are out and about — socialising with friends, going out for entertainment or just walking around the neighbourhood. There’s a certain degree of randomness to this, which requires retailers to take risks. While mainstream retail districts and shopping centres attract a certain crowd that can be analysed in advance, a shop in a friendly neighbourhood block may attract all kinds of people.    The neighbourhood store may evolve as more showroom or digital pick-up space than sales unit. Customers visit for the experience rather than with a particular objective — they garner an impression of products in-store, return home and place their orders at leisure by phone.    Retail freehold owners and developers can play an important role in encouraging neighbourhood shops in commercial districts. Several stores on Anfu Road are owned by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, while Nio House and the Nike experience store in Shanghai’s HKRI Taikoo Hui are owned by Swire Properties. Similarly, enlightened retail developers around the world are recognising the value of small retail units with a more neighbourly feel. Watch them flourish.  

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    Apple opens new store in Wuhan, brings dedicated product pickup area

    Apple opened a new store in Wuhan, China – the first in the Hubei Province. It also inaugurates an exclusive pickup area never seen before in the country, which will allow customers to more easily pick up products ordered online.   “We couldn’t be more excited to open our first Apple Store in Hubei Province. (…) This retail store brings new design elements to China for the first time, giving customers more ways to explore ideas, learn more about Apple products, or make it easier to pick up an online order in store,” said Apple Senior Vice President of Retail Operations and People Deirdre O’Brien.   According to a press release, this new Apple Wuhan retail store will invite the local community to connect with the company’s team members, explore ideas through Today at Apple sessions, and discover the best of Apple products and services.     With Apple Pickup Table, the Apple Wuhan Store offers an in-store pickup area that customers can also participate in Today at Apple sessions. Course content includes photography, videography, art and design, music, programming, and more.   Apple says the Wuhan retail store uses granite floors and wood-trimmed walls to make the store and mall lobby brighter and more transparent.  

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    Giorio Casa’s new store in China is evocative of a traditional Roman square

    About six months ago, a series of images showcasing an aesthetically pleasing red brick building with a dramatic white staircase went viral on social media. Shortly after, another group of photos of the same building, this time with a logo of the luxury Italian furniture brand Giorio Casa, and location of the Shenghui Furniture Mall in the city of Xuzhou, China were released. This resulted in a number of young people travelling from long distances to Xuzhou to visit the space. The building in the mysterious photos is an exhibition and sales centre crafted for Giorio Casa by Wang Zhongli, the chief designer of design firm Catanian.   This new exhibition centre was intended to be a calming space with an atrium at its core Image: Jin Weiqi   Giorio Casa was launched in Turin, Italy, in 1988. Zhongli, partner at design and architecture studio Catanian was commissioned to conceptualise the new Giorio Casa store with the aim of attracting people with an intriguing design concept. A month after its launch, the store was still inundated with people, proving that the designer's concept was successful. The retail design of the store reflects Giorio Casa's Italian roots with ancient Roman architectural elements. This new exhibition centre was intended to be a calming space with an atrium at its core. The architecture invites guests to have a unique spatial experience. The atrium of the store makes the space feel like a home and brings about a sense of serenity.   Wang Zhongli, Chief Designer and Partner at Catanian designed the new Giorio Casa store Image: Jin Weiqi   "The original intention of our design is to let people unload their emotions and feel calm in the space. This is a space inside the building and we want it to have an outside feel. So we implanted a vaulted space in the interior to become the core of the whole interior space. We flip the building and interior space to create an experience of contradiction and contrast," mentions Wang Zhongli, Chief Designer and Partner at Catanian.   The atrium houses two square water bodies made of black fibreglass Image: Jin Weiqi   The Giorio Casa store is designed to give an impression of a person's opulent mansion. The new two-storey space features an atrium in the centre, which is surrounded by interconnected rooms that exhibit the brand’s elegant furniture design. The atrium houses two square water bodies made of black fibreglass. The ponds offer a sense of tranquillity and make the space seem larger than it is. From the central atrium, a striking, spiral staircase and European-style, arched openings provide visitors access to all directions. The design of the atrium has been inspired by ancient squares prevalent in the cities of the Roman empire.   The ponds in the atrium offer a sense of tranquillity and make the space seem larger than it is Image: Jin Weiqi   "Taking a glance at the Roman empire, you see pedestrians, carriages and horses passing through the Palatine Gate (main gate of the square) and gathering in the central square—this centripetal layout still has its power till this day. The space featured an atrium or square surrounded by several other buildings, which were interacting with each other, and integrated the functions of presentation, meditation, interaction and business activities in a vivid and charming manner—this inspired my initial design concepts,” says Zhongli.   The second floor is divided into an experience area, material selection area and a high-end customisation section Image: Jin Weiqi   While the first floor of the store showcases Giorio Casa's products, the second floor is divided into an experience area, material selection area and a high-end customisation section. The design of the store evokes a sense of discovery and exploration within the visitors. As they walk between rooms it seems like they are touring a mansion. "Owing to our decision on the starting and ending point, the angle and design of the spiral staircase, as well as the way people move in the space, visitors can either take a tour according to the map or wander randomly. They can return to the atrium at any time, as it serves as both the starting point and the ending point of the tour, and can be accessible from all directions, just as a transportation hub. Thus, the atrium becomes a functional artwork in a definite form, creating ever changing experiences, emotions, wisdom and energy, and delivering harmony between people and the environment," adds the designer.   The design of the store evokes a sense of discovery and exploration within the visitors Image: Jin Weiqi   For the layout of this new store, the designer moved away from the design of conventional stores to craft something unique and timeless. With this one-of-a-kind space, Zhongli wanted to bring the outdoors inside, and bring about a sense of peacefulness. Moreover, by changing the way people feel in a space, he hoped to alter their shopping habits as well.    By changing the way people feel in a space, the designer hopes to alter their shopping habits as well Image: Jin Weiqi   "Based on Chinese culture and the traditional Italian architectural styles, we built the atrium with bricks in an indoor space, presenting openness and inclusiveness at the same time. In doing so, the space accomplishes its business purpose by naturally evoking people's desire for consumption in a smart way. As scenes presented behind the arches vary, people picture different stories in their minds, which testifies to the power of the space. With peace of mind offered in the atrium, visitors will be attracted by the scenes behind the arches. As they walk into and out of different scenes, they will have viewed the products, and most of the selling job is already done in the process," states Wang Zhongli.   This home furnishings store displays a path-breaking design concept Image: Jin Weiqi   Furthermore, this new Giorio Casa store in China makes a case for minimalism in architecture and design. “When I design, I prefer simplicity. Human beings are already complicated enough. Just as the application of makeup, space design should focus on the beauty itself, in that it is not necessarily true that the heavier the application is, the more beautiful you will be. I hope to help the brand address the present challenges with a complete space strategy and achieve business value beyond expectation. Apart from that, I believe that the building of a peaceful space will arouse the true feelings of people," concludes the designer.   Project Details Name: Giorio Casa Store Project Location: Xuzhou, Jiangsu Area: 1200 ㎡ Interior Design: Catanian Lead Designer: Wang Zhongli Design Team: Zheng Haili, Liang Jianfang, Wang Dian Furnishing: Guangzhou A3Home Co., Ltd. Smart System: Beijing Ruying Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. Furniture: Beijing Giorio Casa Home Design Co., ltd.  

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    Forever 21 takes third crack at China with new bricks and mortar store

      American fast fashion retailer Forever 21 is making its third tilt at the China market, with plans to open a physical store in the country later this month.   The brand said on social media platform WeChat that it would open a store "in June" at Jingjiang Impression City shopping centre in Taizhou, a third-tier city in the eastern province of Jiangsu, which neighbours Shanghai.   Chinese online mapping apps show that a Forever 21 store is under construction at the shopping centre.   Forever 21 did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for more information about the opening.   The youth-focused, fast fashion retailer quietly re-entered the Chinese market last August, at first selling exclusively online via platforms such as Vipshop and Pinduoduo (PDD.O) and later opening a store on Alibaba's (9988.HK) Tmall marketplace.   More recently, Forever 21 began making more noise on social media, with an online campaign to advertise its offerings in the "618" festival, China's major mid-year e-commerce sales event. read more   The brand first entered the China market in 2008, before leaving a year later.   Its second run at China's growing fashion market began in 2011. Forever 21 had a network of 11 physical stores around the country - including flagship outlets in Shanghai and Beijing - which lasted till 2019, a year in which it left multiple markets including China and filed for bankruptcy.   Forever 21 was acquired by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) in 2020. ABG signed a licensing agreement with Hong Kong's Lasonic Electric Xusheng Co. Ltd. and its subsidiary, Xusheng Electrical (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., to manage Forever 21's China operations.     This third attempt at the Chinese market comes at a time when the country's fashion market has grown to become one of the world's largest.   Gaining and retaining market share, however, remains a tough task for mass market foreign fashion brands in China. Some, including H&M (HMb.ST), have been plagued by controversy while others, including major sportswear companies Nike (NKE.N) and Adidas (ADSGn.DE) have lost ground to local brands Li Ning (2331.HK) and Anta (2020.HK) in recent years. "It's clear within the fast fashion space there has been somewhat of a shift towards nimble domestic fashion brands, so if anything it is harder now for international fast fashion to compete here than in the past," said China Market Research Group managing director Ben Cavender.   "It will be difficult to claw away market share as most Chinese consumers either haven't heard of the brand or don't really know what it stands for."  

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    London-based Machine-A opens its first store in China

      London-based multi-brand luxury retailer Machine-A is set to open its first permanent international store in Shanghai this September.   Located in the heart of Jing’an District, the 245spm flagship will host Raf Simons’s first direct-to-consumer location in the country. Glenn Sestig Architects and Pejing Lu are behind the store’s interior design.    Stavros Karelis, founder and buying director of Machine-A, said the international expansion is a “natural step” for the brand.    “I know that a concept store is not unique anymore, especially in Shanghai, where multi-brand stores are booming,” he said. “But based on our experience in London, I think we can still offer something that is going to be different from what exists there.”   Founded in 2013 by Karelis, Machine-A gains popularity among young audiences for its fashion approach to merchandising selection and genderless style. The retail showcases new design talents’ work alongside luxury brands such as Raf Simons, Maison Margiela, Rick Owens and Comme Des Garçons.   

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    No workers, no worries at new smart bookstore in Guizhou

    Photo shows the front of a 24-hour smart bookstore run by Xinhua Bookstore in the Touqiao community in Guiyang, Guizhou province.   Xinhua self-service shop also serves as a 24-hour reading space for residents   Gaining access via a facial recognition system, reading for free and paying for items at the self-service checkout are among the novel experiences awaiting visitors to the first unstaffed, 24-hour smart bookstore in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province.   The store in the Touqiao community belongs to the State-owned chain Xinhua Bookstore, and in addition to selling books, it also serves as a library of sorts. Customers are encouraged to stay and read as long as they want, although they can't take anything home, unless it's purchased.   The 200-square-meter bookstore has nearly 10,000 books on a variety of topics that appeal to all ages. There's a children's activities area near the entrance, which is separated from the tranquil reading zone further inside.   Since there's no one on site, supervision and security is handled by remote monitoring and alarms.   "We keep an eye on the bookstore from a control room off-site. As soon as we detect an emergency, such as a problem with the locks, we rush to the scene to handle it," said store manager Wang Ying.   Wei Jingran, Xinhua Bookstore's operating director in Guizhou, said the new bookstore has greatly reduced labor costs. "It also doesn't have to close, providing a continuous reading space for residents," he added.   Since the store opened on April 23, it has received hundreds of customers a day. Most are nearby residents who are attracted by its convenience and quiet atmosphere.   The bookstore is unstaffed with nearly 10,000 books on sale.   Chen Wentao, a 28-year-old video game enthusiast, said that he has developed a new reading habit as a result of visiting the store.   "I found inquiries from shop assistants at normal bookstores bothersome and felt pressured. Here, I have no concerns. I am free to pick up a book and immerse myself," Chen said.   "Unlike video games, reading brings me a sense of peace in this fast-paced life," he said, adding that he has been reading a novel in the store of late.   A number of retirees have also been enjoying the store. Luo Yinfeng, a 69-year-old who has been an avid reader since childhood, is one.   "I usually come to the bookstore to relax after I finish exercising in the afternoon. It only takes me a few minutes to walk here," she said.   The store's technology has been designed to cater to seniors who may have trouble dealing with automation.   Wang said the self-service checkout procedure is simple, and the characters on the interface are large and easy to read.   "We also plan to introduce a bank card payment system for the elderly," he added.   For some seniors, the bookstore is more than just a place to read.   "It is really good for the elderly, we can learn new things, get exposed to advanced technologies and keep up with the rapidly changing world," Luo said.   A visitor reads in the bookstore's reading zone.   The positive response is good news for Touqiao, which has worked hard to become the first in Guizhou with a smart bookstore.   Zheng Bin, a community official, said the bookstore is part of its "15-minute living circle project", which focuses on improving lives by installing infrastructure like businesses, parks and public transportation residents can access within a 15-minute walk from home.   Wei echoed Zheng's remarks, saying that the pursuit of social benefits was behind the store's creation. He sees the store as a means of providing a convenient service to residents while also promoting Xinhua Bookstore.   As e-commerce and e-books become more popular, the time-honored brand is exploring new ways to turn a profit. Since it opened, the store has only sold a few books a day on average, but Wei said he isn't worried.   "We will make up for the losses with gains from better-performing bookstores," he explained.   Speaking of future plans for smart bookstores, Wei said Xinhua plans to analyze reading habits and preferences based on data collected with customer permission to better tailor book offerings to tastes.   As it continues to improve its unstaffed service experience, Guizhou Xinhua Bookstore launched two more smart bookstores in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture and Bijie city, days after Guiyang.   "Next, we will focus on promoting unstaffed bookstores by making them into new local landmarks and popularizing them on the internet," Wei said.  

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    Honor grows fast, defying industry decline

    Zhao Ming, CEO of Honor, showcases the company's latest phones Honor 70 series.   Honor Device Co Ltd said its workforce will increase by 30 to 40 percent this year, despite the overall decline in the smartphone market.   The announcement came as Honor unveiled its latest smartphone Honor 70 series to expand its presence in the high-end smartphone market and continue its marketing campaign for the June 18 online shopping festival.   According to market research company Counterpoint, from the sixth week of 2022 to the present domestic smartphone sales have declined for 10 consecutive weeks, but Honor's phone sales have grown strongly with an average weekly growth of 132 percent year-on-year.   Zhao Ming, CEO of Honor, said Honor's offline retail channels account for more than 70 percent of its total sales, and the company will increase its offline stores from more than 2,000 to about 3,000 within this year.   This year is a crucial moment for Honor to make an ambitious comeback in overseas markets, Zhao said, including the Middle East, Europe and the Asia-Pacific.  

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    Nike accelerates digital transformation

    Sportswear giant Nike announced the transformation of its digital platforms.   Sportswear giant Nike announced on Tuesday the transformation of its digital platforms will be launched in July to accelerate the construction of a more reliable, convenient digital ecosystem.   Nike is pushing forward its digital transformation to better service consumers. The new platforms will inspire more people to enjoy sports, said Men Lijun, vice-president of Greater China Nike stores.   Since the company introduced its official website to China in 2010, it has developed a complete digital ecosystem including its website, app, WeChat applet and other self-run digital platforms. It has also set up flagship stores and official outlets on the online-shopping platform Tmall.   The upgraded digital platforms will be better connected to its physical shops in China, bringing customers who hold Nike membership a more approachable, digital in-store shopping experience.   Diverse products and services will be provided to consumers through digital platforms and offline retail stores. Men added the upgraded digital platforms will be developed based on local users' habits.   "Nike has been supporting the creation of sports culture in China since it entered the country around four decades ago," Men said. "A market driven by digitalization will bring infinite possibilities and help us better serve all athletes."  

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    Deliveries take digital dive for shopping gala

    Employees sort packages at a logistics center in Guiyang, Guizhou province.    Chinese delivery companies are utilizing advanced digital technologies as well as a wealth of experience to make the most of the June 18 online shopping festival, which is facing logistical pressure due to the impact of COVID-19.   As the peak of the shopping carnival-one of the busiest courier delivery holidays-approaches, express companies are required not only to prepare for order flurries, but also deal with uncertainties as a number of Chinese cities are busy containing further spread of the contagion.   COVID-19 may cause disruptions to the supply chain amid the online shopping spree, thus not only impacting upstream supply but also generating delays in downstream logistics delivery, said Yang Daqing, deputy director of the research institute at the China Federation of Logistics &Purchasing.   "To minimize the negative impact, e-commerce enterprises and logistics companies are exerting more efforts to strengthen their supply chain resilience and enhance logistics capability with digital technologies," Yang said.   Ouyang Zhuojie, a senior expert at SF's supply chain solution center, said the current outbreak in several Chinese cities raised concerns over product delivery, especially during the 618 shopping festival, as retail brand operators typically may take various aspects of the online shopping event into consideration, including delivery schedules of their presale goods, refund policies and the efficiency of the entire procedure.   In response to the evolving situation, SF Express provided its partners with diversified service options to ensure efficiency and safety of package deliveries, Ouyang said.   To be more specific, delivery efficiency will be further enhanced by the increase of human labor and capacity, additional cargo flights, operation model upgrades, big data and intelligent technology.   Based on big data analysis technology, SF will offer customers the most optimized service including order placement, storage provision, logistics, transportation and settlement.   China's logistics market has grown steadily in terms of scale and quality over the past few years, and digitalization has been vital for the sector's further development toward high quality, Yang said.   Due to the impact of COVID-19, digitalization and intelligentization are needed more than ever for logistics enterprises if they want to cut costs and boost efficiency.   With its integrated supply chain, JD Logistics, the logistics unit of Chinese e-commerce giant JD, hopes to provide customers a better experience during the shopping extravaganza, said Lin Chen, vice-president of JD, who is also head of platform business at JD Retail.   Boasting 43 large-scale intelligent logistics parks and some 1,400 warehouses across the nation, JD has set up a highly integrated logistics infrastructure and warehousing facility network. This layout is believed to help more partners-including brands, merchandizers, medium and small-scale merchants and offline stores-speed up transformation toward digitalization and intelligentization.   Likewise, taking advantage of its business model, automatic facility application and digitalization, Best Inc provides its customers resilient supply chain solutions to integrate retail brands' online and offline stocks, raise order performance and upgrade the consumer experience, said Wei Yongqiang, general manager of Best Supply Chain Management.   Based on its big data system, simulation tests on sales were taken in advance, and test data were used to analyze, optimize and adjust stock conditions and adjust labor and capacity, therefore helping to cut costs and boost efficiency, Wei said. Some 7.48 billion parcels were handled nationwide in April, down 11.9 percent year-on-year, due to the COVID-19.  

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    Viva China poised to gain controlling stake in Clarks

      Viva China Holdings Ltd, major shareholder of Chinese sportswear group Li Ning Co Ltd, will take a controlling stake in Clarks, one of the UK's oldest shoe producers, if the company's extraordinary general meeting approves next Wednesday.   According to the file Viva China released on Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing on May 26, the group aims to expand its multi-brand apparel and footwear business. The transaction follows its acquisition of a controlling stake in casual wear brand Bossini in July 2020 and Amedeo Testoni, a century-old Italian luxury brand, in early 2022.   Compared with Clarks' revenue of 1.37 billion pounds ($1.72 billion) in 2019, data from the file showed its revenue was 778.9 and 926.2 million pounds in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Meanwhile, its profit was -150.6 million pounds in 2020 and 53 million pounds in 2021.   Over the past three years, more than 80 percent of Clarks' revenue has been from the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the United States.   After the pandemic, the board of Viva China said it believes the global retail market will pick up, and the performance of Clarks' business will improve. It sees growth potential in Clarks by tapping into the Asia market, in particular China, and increasing the use of online platforms.   Li Yingtao, senior analyst for brand retail at Analysys, told National Business Daily overseas mergers and acquisitions are necessary for a company to maintain advantage, but how to localize also needs to be considered.  

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    Machine-A to open in Shanghai with Raf Simons

      London-based retailer Machine-A will open its first permanent store outside of the UK in Shanghai this September, as the multi-brand market in the key cities continues to heat up.   The store will sit in the heart of the Jing’an District, a young creative neighbourhood, and showcase a mix of emerging names and established brands. The permanent store follows a Machine-A pop-up in Shanghai in October 2020.   It will also host a Raf Simons shop-in-shop — the Belgian brand’s first direct-to-consumer location in China. Machine-A and Raf Simons are known for their close relationship. Last year, Machine-A featured Raf Simons archive pieces in its “Machine-B” vintage project.   Founder and buying director Stavros Karelis says the Shanghai store is a “natural step” for Machine-A, which is a popular destination for Chinese tourists in London and has supported several generations of Chinese designers. The retailer recently relaunched its Wechat Official account, and has a presence on Chinese social shopping platform Red, also known as Xiaohongshu (or Little Red Book).   “China is one of the most important markets,” says Karelis. “I know that the concept store is not unique anymore, especially in Shanghai, where multi-brand stores are booming. But, based on our experience in London, I think we can still offer something that is going to be different from what exists there.”   Multi-brand boutiques, or buyer stores, play a big role in China’s luxury market and are key to reaching influential shoppers. With competition heating up, retailers that focus on niche brands or local talent have an advantage.   Founded in 2009, Machine-A is best known for its experimental and genderless retail strategy and support of young talent including Peter Do, Yueqi Qi and Nensi Dojaka. Brand accelerator Tomorrow acquired a majority stake in the company in November 2020.  

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    Evowera hopes to clean up in electric toothbrush market

    An employee of Evowera (right) introduces the company's electric toothbrushes to a customer at a Sundan electronic appliances store in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in July.   Guangdong brand looks to export to North America, faces tough competition   Shenzhen Evowera Technology Co Ltd, a personal consumer electronics brand that was founded in Shenzhen, Guangdong province in 2017, and mainly focuses on developing electric toothbrushes, is stepping up its overseas expansion.   Earlier this year, the company launched its electric toothbrushes on Amazon for sale in the United States and Canada, and sales of the products have been growing continuously in the past few months.   Besides Amazon, Evowera launched its products on some boutique e-commerce platforms in North America, and the company is considering expanding its presence through some traditional sales channels in the region.   In the earlier stage for a company to typically expand its sales overseas, it is important to build brand reputation through different platforms, Evowera said. Its founders are engineers who used to work at DJI, a leading drone manufacturer, and they have been skilled in developing the propulsion systems for consumer electronics equipment.   "North America is one of the largest consumption markets worldwide, and it's a key strategic market for Evowera. Next, we plan to make more efforts in marketing, and sales are expected to grow further," said Liu Yihan, chief executive officer of Shenzhen Evowera Technology.   "We have been promoting our products through major social media platforms overseas, and we were invited to participate in some official events for Amazon, and the effect is good. Local consumer feedback about the products is mostly positive, and this gives us the confidence to further increase our investment," Liu said.   With top electric toothbrush brands like Philips and Oral-B having already taken certain shares in the Western market, it remains a challenge for emerging brands to grab mature consumers in developed markets. Product differentiation and breakthroughs in research and development have been critical.   The flagship model of its electric toothbrush costs about $180 each, and the price is in the midrange compared with other global brands, Evowera said.   Meanwhile, Evowera received approval from Amazon to enter markets in Germany and the United Kingdom in April, and it has sold products in the two countries. It is preparing to expand sales through Amazon in France, hoping to debut in that market in a few months.   Compared with some mature markets, the penetration rate of consumers using electric toothbrushes in China is still relatively low, and the figure came in at 8 percent. In South Korea, the penetration rate reached nearly 82 percent, the highest in Asia, and it is followed by 30 percent in Japan. In the US, it is 76 percent, and in Europe, around 40 percent to 60 percent, according to LeadLeo Research Institute, a market research provider.   "Good electric toothbrushes usually have low noise and the comfortable feeling of vibration to clean teeth. Compared with domestic brands, the technological advantages of foreign brands are not significantly outstanding," said Tong Wenhao, an analyst at Lead-Leo Research Institute.   "The manufacturing bases of both domestic and foreign brands are centered in Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces, and there is little difference in the performance of different products. Young consumers have shown an increasingly higher awareness of maintaining dental health, and electric toothbrushes boast a remarkable growth potential in China and the rest of the world," Tong said.   Evowera said it has developed technologies that focus on superimposed brush oscillation besides just simple left and right vibration, and such a design helps raise the cleaning efficiency of toothbrushes.   Moreover, with a strapdown inertial navigation system, consumers will be able to get reminders on the screen of the electric toothbrush about the area of their mouth that they did not take care of after brushing their teeth.   Domestically, sales of Evowera's electric toothbrushes on major e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and JD have been booming. In the first quarter of this year, total sales online surged about 12 times year-on-year, and sales of consumables like toothbrush heads have been growing steadily, the company said.   Evowera also cooperates with Lane Crawford, a luxury department store, and Sundan, a major electronic appliances store, to sell its products through brick-and-mortar stores in more than 40 cities nationwide.   "Despite the COVID-19 pandemic having a certain impact on offline sales, it won't stop us from developing offline sales channels and we plan to cooperate with more chain stores. We will continue to increase our investment in China and promote professional knowledge about dental health to more consumers," Liu said.   With its general assembly line located in the boundary between Shenzhen and Dongguan in Guangdong province, the plant will continue to raise its automation rate. The company said it cooperates with more than 200 long-term suppliers.   In the past few years, more domestic retailers such as Usmile, Xiaomi Corp and Soocas joined the electric toothbrush market, and their market shares have been growing. In the next few years, more competitors are expected to join the dynamic market and attract more funds from investors, LeadLeo said.  

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    618 festival to spur shopping recovery

    Couriers for e-commerce enterprise JD scan and register packages in the Quyang neighborhood in Shanghai's Hongkou district, April 17, 2022.    The upcoming June 18 online shopping festival-it is branded as "618"-is expected to play a vital role in promoting the recovery of consumption, stimulating consumers' purchasing desire and shoring up the economy amid the resurgence of domestic COVID-19 cases and external uncertainties, industry experts said.   Chinese e-commerce giant JD said on Friday it will kick off the midyear promotional event at 8 pm on Monday and offer discounts and shopping coupons, with emphasis on bolstering the interaction of online and offline commerce and empowering small and medium-sized merchants.   Xin Lijun, CEO of JD Retail, highlighted the significance of supply chain capacities that ensure the supply of daily necessities to people in urgent need amid the epidemic, and pledged efforts to roll out an array of supportive measures for merchants, so as to reduce operating burdens and help them tide over difficulties.   The company aims to leverage its nationwide network of intelligent logistics and warehouses to speed up the digital transformation of SMEs and brick-and-mortar stores, as well as encourage green consumption by launching eco-friendly products and supporting package recycling.   Tmall, the business-to-customer platform of Alibaba Group, has also launched a series of measures, such as financial subsidies, data flow resources, smooth logistics and upgraded technology support, to alleviate operating pressure of merchants.   Wang Yun, a researcher with the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, said the June 18 retail festival will help smoothen the channels from production to consumption, and facilitate the circulation from the supply side to the demand side by integrating the online and offline shopping scenarios and unleashing consumption potential.   "Consumption plays a fundamental role in China's economic development and is the main driving force boosting economic growth," Wang said, while noting the recovery of consumption is facing mounting challenges and difficulties amid the resurgent domestic COVID-19 cases.   More efforts are needed to unleash the consumption potential in home appliances and automobiles, and ease restrictions on home purchases to promote the recovery of consumption and stabilize economic growth, she said.   "Consumer demand has been suppressed by the epidemic. The June 18 promotion gala is expected to help promote consumption recovery and shore up confidence of shoppers in the short term," said Mo Daiqing, a senior analyst at the Internet Economy Institute, a domestic consultancy. Consumers will become more rational when purchasing commodities, she said.  

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    Metro China to open more stores in nation

    Residents use self-checkout at a reopened supermarket in a precautionary zone in Putuo district of Shanghai on May 5, 2022.   Membership stores that have targeted affluent urban consumers have kept their expansion plans this year as demand is on the surge for affordable and quality merchandise.   Metro China, a high-end retail subsidiary of Beijing-based Wumart Group, said their scale-up plan is still on track this year both online and offline, following a new store opening on Wednesday in Beijing.   The new store in the Sijiqing area in Haidian district in Beijing is the fourth store in the city, with an area of 7,500 square meters and houses more than 8,000 types of merchandise from 60 countries. Of them, more than 40 are imported or of private brands. Health, maternity, cooking and gifting are four major categories the new store is offering. To keep consumers coming back to the stores, about 20 to 30 percent of the merchandise in Metro's membership stores will be replaced with new products every three months, said the company.   "Metro's global procurement office has imports based on the best origin of products to better meet the members' needs for high quality," according to Chen Zhiyu, deputy chief operating officer of Metro China.   Metro's strengths in operation capacity, procurement scale and quality control have been generated from its yearslong expediences in providing products for business operators including five-star hotels, international kindergartens and government institutions as well as enterprise clients.   The business-to-business sector has accounted for 30 to 40 percent of its total revenue, with more than 1,000 employees serving 100,000 enterprise members, said Chen.   The retailer is opening more stores in the country in addition to upgrading its existing outlets to membership format. Metro China is expected to open its fifth membership store in Beijing and other new outlets in Shanghai and Wuhan, Hubei province, by the end of this year.   Empowered by Dmall, the digital unit invested by Wumart's founder Zhang Wenzhong, Metro has also boosted its integration of online and offline businesses and deliver-to-home capacities, said the company.   Its online orders have been on the rise since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, at its mall in Shilihe, Beijing, online orders have grown 10 times over the same period last year during the May Day holiday early this month.   Within five kilometers of its Metro stores, Dmall has enabled citywide delivery at all of the Metro stores in the country, where consumers can have better access to products available at Metro.   The country's top membership store Sam's Club, owned by Walmart Inc, is expected to open its fourth store in Daxing district of Beijing and Hema Fresh has planned to have its second membership store in the city. Sam's Club said earlier it will operate 40 to 45 stores by the end of this year. In China, Sam's Club has led the sector with 4 million paid members and 36 stores. In its first-quarter fiscal report, released on May 17, Sam's Club's global sales increased 10.2 percent, with membership income increasing by 10.5 percent.   "Membership stores will continue their strong momentum this year, amid more fierce competition, resulting from the rising number of players who have joined in the sector," said Jason Yu, general manager of Kantar Worldpanel in China.   "The ongoing pandemic and disruption in logistics have required quicker responses from retailers, where those with better supply chains have a clear advantage."   Affordability and quality of products are what matter more to consumers amid the pandemic, he added. Stock-up shopping often spurs businesses for membership stores, Yu said.  

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    CAPITAMALL NUOHEMULE HOHHOT: FROM AN ABANDONED BUILDING TO AN IMMERSIVE GARDEN

    CapitaMall Nuohemule stands as a new, comprehensive kind of contemporization: far beyond a simplistic mall refurbishment with superficial re-application of materials, it is about extracting the essence of a building and converting it into a new, adventurous, and future-proof concept that manages to withstand and challenge the strong competition of urban retail precincts with its unique offer.   © Chill Shine   A model for the fusion of commercial spaces and indoor gardens   The revitalization of an abandoned mall at Hohhot’s Nuohemule station has successfully transformed a dark and barren seven-story concrete structure into a vibrant and diversified experience of plants, greenery, and water – an attraction that has emerged as a visitor magnet far beyond its local neighbourhood. Opening day generated a flow of over 100,000 visitors.   To counteract the ‘winter blues’ induced by a harsh climate of long, arid seasons devoid of green and daylight, CapitaMall Nuohemule emerges as the first garden mall in Inner Mongolia. Lush, multi-level interior landscaping spreads skywards through a series of atria, reaching out into the horizontal circulation zones to provide a rare and enjoyable public green experience for the surrounding communities.   Challenging the often sterile atmosphere of conventional shopping malls, the retail centre was conceived as a green and natural indoor space. A spirited contemporary interpretation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, it incorporates horizontal gardening strategies across all retail floors to create social meeting and gathering spots with a fresh identity, interactive potential, and affective qualities.   The outlines of the existing atria were re-drawn into clear geometric shapes that vertically overlap, thus dissolving the rigidity and verticality of the space. Reconfigured edge zones, together with newly inserted connecting bridges, were converted into lush landscaped planters across all levels in an innovative approach to the positioning and functioning of commercial space.   A building to constantly grow and change   Together with green ‘pocket-park’ type islands along the mall’s corridors, the planted spaces amount to a total of 2,000 m2, incorporating varieties such as stream landscapes, rock gardens, and rain forests, all respecting the commercial theme of their location. This optimized microclimate creates high ambient comfort through the synthesis of natural light and planting, while the atria assist in vertical distribution of oxygenated, moistened air that contributes to a pleasant interior climate. Air flow and temperature control are naturally instigated and enrich the standard mechanically induced climate control.   © Chill Shine   The central islands along the mall’s ground floor offer meandering trajectories offset from the main circulation: along elevated platforms, they combine water features and lush planting with an immersive environment that has become home to fish and ducks.   Evoking feelings of a brief tropical escape in visitors, these islands have developed into popular event spaces and social media hotspots for more than 100 events and counting. Regular performances and cultural shows foster community activity and encounters in a dense jungle of experiential nature within the heart of the city.   Looking upwards, horizontal bands of fashion retail, kids’ entertainment and education, sports facilities, and dining options extend across seven levels, like roots and branches of a tree. Spatial extensions and planar shifts generate oversized floorplate sizes for circulation, events, and gatherings. The even distribution of attractions directs curiosity towards the location’s previously unprofitable upper floors.   On the fourth floor, an energetic public sports zone exposes the original building structure in its industrial style. Apart from that, various cultural and promotional events and performances have taken place. The contemporary basement, with its convivial food street theme, connects directly to the metro station.   In 2021, in its first year of operation, CapitaMall Nuohemule proved to be CapitaLand’s second most successful mall in Northern China, and led the Dianping ranking as Hohhot’s number one popular shopping and leisure destination.  

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    Supermarkets in Shanghai reopening doors

          Residents shop at a supermarket in Putuo district of Shanghai, on May 5, 2022. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/China Daily] After roughly a monthlong suspension of offline business due to Shanghai's recent COVID-19 outbreak, a few large supermarket chains in the city's Putuo district began reopening on Thursday to better meet people's needs.   China Daily arrived at the district's Zhenbei Road at around 8:30 am on Thursday, finding that a number of consumers carrying bags or dragging small trolleys were waiting for the Metro supermarket to open. The queue was arranged in a winding manner.   "The winding queue can help consumers maintain social distance and avoid crowding caused by lining up in a straight line," said Wang Hongyu, manager of the Metro, who added that the supermarket had made full preparations for resuming offline operations amid the epidemic.   According to Wang, all the consumers were residents living in neighborhoods in precautionary zones of the district's Changzheng town, and the time for the communities to come to shop had been prescribed.   To prevent crowds, the market is allowing 300 people at a time to shop for 45 minutes. Staff members will then disinfect some major areas, including the check-out area, the frozen food section and restrooms, in 15 minutes to ensure safety for the next wave of consumers, he said.   "While scanning their health codes, consumers also need to show their community pass cards and their invitation tickets from the supermarket before shopping," he added.       Residents shop at a supermarket in a precautionary zone in Putuo district of Shanghai on May 5, 2022. The supermarket reopened on May 5 as Shanghai has eased its restrictions on precautionary zones. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/China Daily]   Liu Li walked out of the market on Thursday morning carrying a big package of groceries. He said his residential compound committee had informed him on Wednesday that the Metro would resume offline business.    "The foods I just bought are those that are difficult to get and that I really want to eat during the lockdown period," he said, adding that he would carry them 2 kilometers to his home.   Deng Huaihua expressed her excitement about shopping offline. Carrying packages of food and daily necessities, the elderly consumer said: "I prefer to select goods in a market, because I'm not good at using the smartphone to order products online."    Lianhua Supermarket's Taopu branch in the district also opened its doors at 8:30 am on Thursday, allowing surrounding residents from communities in precautionary zones to shop.    After showing his community pass card and a shopping invitation ticket, a consumer surnamed Cai came into the market. He bought some meat, seasonings and daily necessities in about 40 minutes, adding that he does not need to get too much because the supply at home is sufficient.    Zhang Haifeng, from the Baililu police station of the Putuo public security sub-bureau, was working with other officers to keep consumers in order on Thursday morning. He said that the market is required to allow 120 consumers to shop at a time for about one hour to prevent crowding, followed by a round of disinfection.    To help ensure sufficient supplies for those shopping in the evening, Wang Xing, manager of Lianhua's Taopu branch, said that every consumer is limited to buying just one of a particular item and can only spend up to 500 yuan ($75) each visit.    "Additionally, consumers can check out either through manual or self-service platforms," he said.    Under the closed-loop management, the supermarkets have never ceased online orders, helping ensure local residents have what they need.  

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    Meituan partners with financial institutions to support small business

    Staff members sort and pack the ordered groceries at the outlet division of Meituan Maicai in East China's Shanghai, April 12, 2022.   Meituan announced on Wednesday it will partner with a number of financial institutions, including China Everbright Bank, to jointly offer collateral-free loans at fairly low rates to some owners of small restaurants serving local specialty street foods.   The total line of credit will be no less than 10 billion yuan ($1.52 billion), of which Meituan will contribute 30 percent.   The Chinese shopping platform for locally found consumer products and retail services said it will provide information on cash flow and other operating conditions of small restaurants serving local specialty street foods, who will apply for the syndicated loan, to its partner financial institutions in this project.   It is expected that the project will overcome information asymmetry problems, thus helping small businesses find easier access to loans and get through hard times amid the COVID-19 pandemic.   At the initial stage of the project, loans will be provided to store owners of Shaxian Delicacies, a style of cuisine from Shaxian district of Sanming, Fujian province. The store owners who have financing needs can apply for a loan up to 300,000 yuan at an average annualized rate of no more than 7.2 percent. Loan terms vary from three months to three years.   Last year, over 19,000 Shaxian Delicacies stores suspended business due to COVID-19 resurgence while only 6,928 new stores specialized in this type of cuisine opened for business, according to Meituan.   The loans are expected to help small business owners recover from the pandemic and support new urban residents starting a business or getting a job.   The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission defined new urban residents as people who live in a city permanently but have not yet obtained a local hukou, or those who have obtained a local hukou within the past three years. A hukou is an official document certifying that the holder is a legal resident of a particular area. There are more than 300 million such new urban residents in China.   Meituan said it is planning to expand the lending project to other restaurants serving local specialty street foods such as Chongqing Xiaomian, a variety of noodle dishes originating from Chongqing. In addition, it will gradually partner with more financial institutions, apart from China Everbright Bank, in carrying out the project.  

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    China to further tap consumption potential

    A duty-free store draws a crowd of shoppers in Haikou, Hainan province.   BEIJING - China on Monday unveiled guidelines to further tap the country's consumption potential, with detailed measures to tackle short-term bottlenecks and boost longer-term consumption vitality.   The country plans to build a batch of warehouses in the suburbs of large and medium-sized cities to ensure the supply of daily necessities in case of emergencies, according to the guidelines released by the General Office of the State Council.   The guidelines also required the financial institutions to further support the real economy through measures such as lowering lending rates and cutting fees, among other measures to help the country cope with the impacts of COVID-19.   The resurgences of the epidemic in multiple cities since March have weighed notably on consumption growth in China. In March, the retail sales of consumer goods decreased by 3.5 percent year-on-year.   The guidelines noted the difficulties facing the economy, especially the contact-based sectors. It said the country would offer specific support to help those who suffered the most through these difficult times.   In addition to measures to boost short-term consumption recovery, the guidelines also detailed policies to boost consumption in the medium and long term.   China will develop products and services that cater to the needs of the elderly and infants while encouraging innovations in cultural consumption, the guidelines said.   It will also tap the consumption potential in the country's vast rural areas, promoting the sales of automobiles and home appliances in these regions.   The guidelines encouraged cities to phase out auto-consumption restrictions based on their own conditions to keep the consumption of vehicles stable.   China also plans to build several duty-free shops within the cities and improve related policies to develop pro-consumption platforms.   Consumption is a primary engine for economic growth in China. In the first quarter, final consumption contributed 69.4 percent to the expansion in the gross domestic product, which rose 4.8 percent year-on-year.   The sector is likely to continue rebounding as the country gets the epidemic situation under control and employment-friendly measures get implemented, said Fu Linghui, a spokesperson with the National Bureau of Statistics.  

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    Coffee chains use collaborations to boost long-term growth

    Luckin Coffee baristas (behind counter) brew coffee for customers at a store in Shanghai in January.    For a heavy coffee drinker like Wang Wen, the hunt for a new coffee flavor is the delight of her day as she works as a marketing executive for an online tourism platform in Beijing.   On April 12, she bought a coconut juice latte.   It is a new product jointly introduced by domestic coffee chain Luckin Coffee and the Coconut Palm Group-a Haikou, Hainan province-based leading juice producer.   The product-with coconut milk topping and wrapped with the flashy Coconut Palm signature packaging-is the first brand collaboration for the coconut juice producer since its founding.   The impact of linking with a brand that the entire Gen Z consumers have grown up with is exploding.   Wang said coincidentally, all of her team of 12 people in Beijing, Changsha, Hunan province, and Suzhou, Jiangsu province, bought the same drink on Tuesday.   "It tastes more like a tropical coconut juice with a light touch of coffee," she said. The new product sold 660,000 cups on its launch day, according to Luckin.   One of the strengths of domestic coffee chain operator Luckin Coffee is to be able to connect domestic brands to double down on the guochao trend-a Chinese phrase referring to homegrown style, providing continuous innovations that often resonate with local consumers. The benefit of the move is mutual. "The collaboration with Luckin Coffee is pushing the iconic coconut juice brand closer with younger consumers," said Zhu Danpeng, a food and drink analyst in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.   The troubled coffee chain announced on April 11 the successful completion of the restructuring of its debt and its emergence from bankruptcy proceedings.   Guo Jinyi, chairman and chief executive officer of the company, said the day marks the beginning of the new Luckin Coffee and it is now eyeing long-term growth.   Last year, the chain opened more than 350 new stores in the fourth quarter and is one of the largest coffee networks in China by the number of outlets, with more than 6,000 stores as of the end of last year. Of them, 4,397 are self-operating stores and 1,627 partnership stores.   New store openings during fiscal year 2021 stood at 1,221, resulting in a year-over-year store unit growth of 25.4 percent. Many of the newly opened stores are located in third- and fourth-tier cities, suggesting potential for further small-city penetration.   Total net revenues in fiscal year 2021 were 7.96 billion yuan ($1.25 billion), representing an increase of 97.5 percent from 4.03 billion in fiscal year 2020, according to its report.   Meanwhile, Starbucks China on April 12 launched its new series of Goodgood creative beverages and food products, including the "Tomorrow Latte", which encourages consumers to practice lifestyles based on its "Eat Good, Do Good and Feel Good" initiative. Each cup of the "Tomorrow Latte" is sourced from sustainable coffee beans that have been verified with C.A.F.E.Practice to ensure green planting and processing, as well as the use of oat milk and recyclable packaging. On April 4, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz replaced Kevin Johnson as chief executive officer and as a director on the company's board.   Since then, Schultz visited many frontline employees in the United States and held a meeting with the Chinese team online. Schultz recently said in an internal letter, "this is the moment when we continue to accelerate our development in China, a strategic market".   China is the second-largest market for Starbucks in the world, with more than 5,500 stores and nearly 70,000 employees in more than 220 cities on the Chinese mainland. It plans to reach 6,000 stores by the end of 2022.   Canadian coffee group Tim Horton's in China announced it has received an investment of 1.2 billion yuan, providing more capital for the business plan in the next five years, which is to grow the current 410 stores in the country to 2,750 stores by 2026.   Last year Tim's China worked with Metro China, a membership store under the country's leading retailer Wumart Group, to open more Tim's Go stores within Metro China outlets. Tim's Go mainly focuses on delivery services and is expected to open 617 stores by 2026, or 20 percent of its total stores, in China.   According to the on-premise coffee market report of 2021 from UK-based research institute Mintel Group, the number of coffee chain stores has been on the rise due to the major play's expansion strategy and rising investment. The number of on-premise coffee stores is expected to reach 136,000 in 2021, with a growth rate of 5.4 percent. In five years, said the report, the annual aggregated growth rate is forecast to climb to 10.9 percent and the market value to 75.8 billion yuan in 2026.  

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    Lululemon makes China prime target in global expansion

    Participants practice yoga under the guide of an instructor at an event organized by Lululemon and Keep in Beijing, June 21, 2019.    Athletic apparel retailer Lululemon said on Wednesday it is looking to quadruple its international business by 2026 through a three-pronged approach, in which China is the "primary and biggest opportunity".   The growth of the Chinese mainland will be powered by five pillars to showcase how the company's global-local model plays, Andre Maestrini, executive vice-president of Lululemon's international business, said at an investors' day that charted the course for the company's strategy over the next five years.   Calling the Chinese mainland "the first source of growth" for international business, Maestrini said the company is looking to triple stores to 220 in 2026 from the current 71.   This would feature a combination of flagship stores with full lineups and community-based stores featuring core products. The strategy would unfold by building up presence across relatively affluent first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai before penetrating into tier-two cities.   E-commerce is also a focus, with Lululemon on track to partner with local e-commerce giant JD on top of its existing Tmall store, further tap into social commerce through WeChat mini programs and develop its indigenous Chinese website.   It will also launch products tailored to the Asian market and create local collection capsules to resonate with local occasions. Other endeavors include drumming up brand amplification and running a sustainable business.   "It's about telling our stories louder in the market and complement brand awareness by curating local content that resonates with a guest," he said.   International business represented around 15 percent of Lululemon's $6.25 billion revenue by Jan 30. The ambitious target will also be buoyed by growing markets like South Korea and Australia, further scaling existing markets and entering new markets, such as opening a flagship store on Paris' Champs-Elysees.   At the same event, CEO Calvin McDonald announced a plan to double the company's 2021 revenue in the next five years, putting it on track to hit $12.5 billion in sales by 2026.   Apart from quadrupling international revenue, the company aspires to double both its men's revenue and digital sales to achieve that goal.  

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    Afternoon tea culture brewing up a comeback

    An outlet of T9 Premium Tea in Shanghai.   Coffee, snacks also jumping on the consumption bandwagon   With consumption upgrades led by a rise in purchasing power and living standards, Chinese beverage consumers are participating in a buying bonanza, leaving great market space for afternoon tea-related brands.   On a typical Sunday afternoon, Hai Mian, a 29-year-old programmer in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, takes his girlfriend to a shopping mall near their apartment in Nanshan district. They first go to a handmade dorayaki store to buy a box of the Japanese pancakes, then visit a teahouse next door.   At the tastefully decorated teahouse, Hai often orders a cup of Jasmine Matcha Eisbock for his girlfriend, and a Royal Earl Grey black tea latte for himself.   "The two beverages each cost around the same as that of two Starbucks coffees. However, we prefer the beverages here, because the store offers diversified choices with refined flavors. For example, my Royal Earl Grey black tea latte contains both the fragrance of Earl Grey and the bitterness of coffee," Hai said.   Bei Bei, Hai's girlfriend, opens a box of dorayaki pancakes, saying: "China's newly emerged consumption brands that offer afternoon tea services amaze me. Same as the teahouse, the dorayaki pancake store indeed wins over my heart. Take this box of dorayaki as an example. There are four pancakes in the box, and the recommended sequence of enjoying their taste is first regular cheese, then cherry mousse, earl grey cheese and cinnamon mousse, given that it is better for palate to gradually appreciate a lighter to heavier taste. The whole tasting process has a very good sense of hierarchy, offering an ultimate consumption experience."   Whether judging from the flurry of new Starbucks outlets constantly popping up, or the homegrown beverage brands springing up like mushrooms, China's afternoon tea market is transforming into a younger, more trendy and faster-moving category.   According to a report jointly launched by food delivery platform Ele.me and Alibaba's research arm AliResearch, between 2015 and 2021-given the digitization of China's catering industry and consumption upgrades-consumer habits and product formats of the country's afternoon tea market have undergone two critical transformations.   Before 2015, afternoon tea consumption was mainly offline, and the major consumption venues were teahouses, restaurants and mid to high-end hotels. From 2015 to 2020, the scenario gradually shifted to workplaces. Since 2020, with the rise of guochao-wherein consumers increasingly appreciate local elements-afternoon tea drinking became more closely aligned with traditional Chinese culture, and more snacks, such as braised foods and fried chicken, were integrated into the category.   The tea market still has great potential remaining to be fully tapped into. With the growing influence of the digital age, China's tea businesses have gradually evolved from traditional teahouses and simple online tea sales platforms to various new business formats. Taking advantage of new retail and consumption modes, they are actually achieving intelligence in channel exploration and brand image building.   T9 Premium Tea, the teahouse that Hai and his girlfriend often visit, is a glimpse of how Chinese newly emerged beverage brands are enjoying the fruits of success. Founded in 2017 in Shanghai, within nearly four years, the company's monthly sales revenue in its first outlet in the city, which only takes up 28 square meters, reached nearly 600,000 yuan ($94,459). On busy days, daily sales revenue ranges from 40,000 yuan to 50,000 yuan, data from the company showed.   Wu Jianqing, CEO of T9 Premium Tea, said that currently, the company's tea portfolio includes three series: Colorful Collection, Legend Collection and Royal Collection. In total, there are over 50 stock-keeping units covering black, herbal and fruit teas. Prices range from 100 yuan to 10,000 yuan per package, satisfying demand from diversified consumer groups.   "At the initial stage, we chose to explore China's tea consumption market with the affordable Colorful Collection, whose average customer unit price was around 300 yuan. The repurchase rate reached 40 percent."   As for the secret to T9's success, Wu said that on the supply chain side, the company cooperates with a 200-year-old tea supplier based in Hamburg, Germany, to ensure flavor quality.   Moreover, T9 built its own warehouse to store tea leaves of different categories and made great efforts in product quality control.   Other new Chinese beverage brands are also making strides. Guangzhou Zetian Trading Co Ltd, the dorayaki maker that Bei loves, launched stamp collection events, attracting dorayaki lovers to visit the stores and buy their pancakes. Likewise, Shanghai-based Pros Coffee Roaster developed Blue Latte-a tasty blend whose color ranges from blue to white to please visually oriented yet "picky" coffee lovers.   Industry experts said with the rise of Generation Z, consumers' food and beverage choices have been constantly seeing upgrades, and the pursuit of health and quality is now driving trends. This is equally true for both female and male consumers.   Raming Zeng, the person in charge of the marketing department of Dongguan, Guangdong-based confectionery maker Hsu Fu Chi, said: "Instead of merely pursuing delicacy, consumers prefer high-end afternoon tea choices. The new trend prompted us to stay alert in sensing consumers' higher-end, more diversified needs, and to adjust our business strategies. For example, this Spring Festival, we launched 38 types of confectioneries, among which 13 are new products, covering categories including candies, cakes, gift boxes and chocolates, to offer rich choices for consumers."   According to the report from Ele.me and AliResearch, currently, the four core driving forces for China's afternoon tea market are new consumer needs, supply shortages, industry coordination and government guidance and supervision.   "Although the pandemic has led to many setbacks, people's afternoon tea consumption habits have formed, and a new round of high-speed growth is coming. Meanwhile, market cultivation in some third and fourth-tier cities has been initially completed, and the upper echelon of the afternoon tea market at the merchant end has also been formed. Skyrocketing demand has allowed businesses to grow quickly," said the report.   Bo Wenxi, chief economist at marketing firm Interpublic Group China, said: "Amid consumption upgrades, it is an inevitable trend that people are buying healthier, higher-end afternoon tea products. Therefore, merchants should pay more attention to changes in consumer demand as well as realize the close coordination between marketing, promotion, stocking and supply so as to make more effective, timely and accurate business strategies.   In May 2021, the Tea Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, together with several other institutions, jointly launched a product standard guideline for tea beverages-the first of its kind in the industry. The first batch mentioned in the standard covers milk teas, milk-capped teas, fruit teas, bubble teas and chilled teas.   Independent economist Wang Chikun said that the introduction of the standards, which signals the tightening of marketing regulations, demonstrates that the industry has matured.   "Market competition is already fierce. As consumer demand expands, the number of enterprises is growing, and the market is approaching saturation. Therefore, to get the right break, enterprises are expected to focus on enhancing user experience and satisfy refined demand," he said.   "In the future, afternoon tea will become a new standard for people's more refined lives, and Chinese afternoon tea culture will be popular around the world. And the rise of guochao and domestic products will be a good opportunity for local brands to grow rapidly," said the Ele.me and AliResearch report.  

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    Unilever's largest ice cream plant opens

    Magnum ice cream.   Consumer goods giant Unilever on 29 March unveiled its largest ice cream factory worldwide in Taicang, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou in eastern Jiangsu province.   Unilever executives said the factory reflects the company's "China speed, determination and capability".   The factory uses digital technologies like artificial intelligence and the internet of things. Thus, it is part of the "Advanced Fourth Industrial Revolution Lighthouses", a consortium of intelligent manufacturing sites recognized by the World Economic Forum.   It can produce 2 million units of Wall's, Magnum and Cornetto ice creams daily. The factory also aims to achieve carbon neutrality in two years, said Han Fangjun, nutrition chief product supply chain officer at Unilever, during a video conference. "Unveiling the plant today represents … the unparalleled China speed, China determination and China capability, while carrying hefty symbolic meaning for the ice cream market in China and globally," Han said.   The Wall's ice cream factory in Taicang is the first ice cream lighthouse factory in the world. It is also the second "lighthouse factory" in China following the Hefei production base.   AI-backed sales forecasting models, which leverage social listening across various platforms, allow accurate prediction of consumer demand so that the company can respond to consumer needs in close to real time.   The speed of rolling out innovation will be cut to three months from 12 months. For instance, the R&D team uses 3D printing to mock up packaging samples and develops new nozzles about 80 percent quicker than the time taken for developing a typical stainless-steel component.   Other technology highlights include a brand new single-scan tracing app that enables end-to-end chain traceability and direct product delivery to customers.   China has become the largest consumer market for Magnum and Cornetto. With the COVID-19 pandemic unlocking people's desire to consume ice cream at home, the company aims to develop unique products that pamper the taste buds of the Chinese, said Benny Xu, ice cream general manager for Unilever North Asia.   They (Chinese customers) prefer not too sweet or greasy flavors …(value) quality and healthy raw materials as well as diverse and green packaging, he said. "At the same time, e-commerce consumption is growing rapidly."   Ice cream was not a popular treat at home until the pandemic hit, when locked-down consumers sought comfort food, according to a report on China's FMCG landscape published last year by consultancies Bain and Kantar Worldpanel.   "Now people are buying ice cream at record rates," said Jason Yu, general manager of Kantar Worldpanel in China and a seasoned retail expert.   "In that case, the new pandemic-inspired behavior, combined with a long-term shift to premium products, is delivering record sales for that category."   Apart from adopting intelligent tools to increase efficiency and realize a flexible and fully automated production, the site is also pioneering sustainable factory practices, capable of reducing 14 percent of energy and water consumption and cutting carbon emissions by 83 percent.   The energy management system collects and monitors consumption data on a daily basis, identifying areas where it can make further improvements.  

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    Sprite makes splash with refreshed look for Chinese market

      Soft drink brand Sprite has unveiled a bold new look in China and launched an all-new no sugar series.   The new brand identity represents an innovative reimagining of the iconic soft drink brand that has been popular in the Chinese market for 38 years.   Sprite's refreshed look aims to give China's young consumers exactly what they want, by providing a youthful, modern and bold appearance, and expanded choice via the all-new Sprite no sugar portfolio.   The design also makes Sprite products more easily identifiable on the shelf. Accompanying the branding is a new no sugar mint flavor as well as no sugar fiber among Sprite's range of products.   China is Sprite's biggest market globally in terms of sales volume. Being "iconic" is in Sprite's brand DNA, and so it always keeps up with the latest consumer trends and continuously innovates its product range.   "Sprite is an iconic mega-brand in China, loved by consumers of all ages and from all walks of life. I feel incredibly proud that we are the first market globally to launch this new bold brand identity, together with a range of innovative premium no sugar choices," said Ella Liu, vice-president of marketing, Greater China, at The Coca-Cola Company, Sprite's parent company.   "We have reinvented this iconic brand to refresh a new generation of consumers in China, together with all of our existing consumers," Liu said.   Youthful design   The new brand identity is an almost complete redesign of nearly every aspect of Sprite's appearance, ranging from the iconic new Chinese logo, to bottle labeling, bottle caps and secondary packaging. The branding was co-designed by the company's China marketing team together with their global counterparts.   By highlighting iconic brand elements while eliminating unnecessary details, the new design aims to make Sprite stand out even more and make a bold statement to a generation of consumers who express themselves more boldly than ever.   "The new brand identity for Sprite is sharp and clear-it cuts through the noise and conveys confidence as an iconic brand," said Rapha Abreu, global design director at The Coca-Cola Company.   "The new identity is bold and embraces the audacity of self-expression by being dynamic, distinctive and modern."   Jasmin Vinculado, global sparkling flavors president at The Coca-Cola Company, said, "In line with values we believe, and Generation Z consumers identify with, the new Sprite brand identity stands for boldness and clarity."   Generation Z refers to those born between 1995 and 2009.   "We are confident that fans in China will enjoy this new look and will continue to stay even more refreshed and cool whenever they face heat, with a 'new look' Sprite," Vinculado said.   Landmark launch   With a history of 38 years in China, Sprite has long been loved by generations of Chinese consumers. While celebrating its heritage, Sprite also wants to add greater emphasis on its appeal directly to young people. By engaging young consumers through a multichannel approach directly relevant to their lives and interests, Sprite aims to reveal itself as the cool and cutting-edge choice for this moment and for the future.   To announce the news of Sprite's latest look to as many customers as possible and spark their curiosity and excitement, the brand has rolled out an extensive advertising and marketing campaign. This campaign has been led by the CEOs of the two bottling partners and features promotional trade activities and livestreams introducing a vast range of special promotions for Sprite fans across the nation.   Consumers can hardly miss the new branding, with its adorning billboards, promoted in pop-up stores in major shopping centers and appearing in multimedia and social media. With this exciting launch across China, the new-look Sprite is set to capture the imagination and drive excitement among both longtime fans and a new generation of cool young consumers.   By building a unique connection with Generation Z, the launch of Sprite's new brand identity is just part of Sprite's wider strategy to define itself as the beverage for all those who pursue coolness, trendiness and cutting-edge lifestyles.   Sprite's latest launch in China sets the tone and is the precursor for further rollouts in the company's other global markets.  

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    Events across Beijing to enhance consumer experience this year

    An actor and actress stage a performance at Universal Beijing Resort where the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Consumption Season takes place on March 1.   More than 10,000 stores sign up to Consumption Season promotions   The 2022 Beijing Consumption Season project, which was launched on March 1, will last until the end of the year. Activities in eight categories are to be held, including 24 citywide events.   More than 10,000 stores are participating, organizing nearly 1,000 consumption promotions that involve such sectors as catering, e-commerce, cultural tourism, automobiles, leisure and medicine.   The project aims to continuously boost the high-quality development of consumption, and better meet people's needs for diversified and personalized consumer experiences. It will also help Beijing become an international consumption center with global influence, competitiveness and reputation, local officials said.   Also, as a part of this year's National Consumption Promotion Month, the project is expected to create an atmosphere of participation and consumption, further stimulate market vitality, unleash consumption potential and boost the sustained recovery and upgrading of consumption, said officials from the Beijing Commerce Bureau.   One of the biggest highlights of this year's Beijing Consumption Season is "guochao", which refers to a fashion trend featuring Chinese culture. It has driven demand for domestic brands and products incorporating traditional Chinese culture and style.   Part of the consumption season, a festival featuring "guochao and Beijing brands" has gathered more than 150 time-honored enterprises, new brands and related colleges, universities and institutions to hold 10 key promotional activities. Based on these, about 300 online and offline events will be held by related companies.   The festival also includes a design competition. It has attracted several universities like Communication University of China, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology and Beijing Union University, as well as a number of time-honored companies and new brands, to promote Chinese clothing.   Some time-honored fashion brands including Snow Lotus, Longqingxiang and Topnew, will perform traditional Chinese clothing shows, and Ruifuxiang Silk and Neiliansheng Shoes will display their intangible cultural heritage skills and sell their unique products.   This year, Beijing's Wangfujing, Sanlitun and other major business districts will make more effort to launch flagship stores of foreign brands.   The Joy City shopping mall, for instance, plans to introduce more than 30 flagship stores by the end of the year.   They will also carry out a series of themed activities to bring rich cultural and entertainment consumption experiences to residents.   For example, Sanlitun's thriving Taikoo Li shopping street will cooperate with Dior, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gentle Monster and other renowned brands to launch popup stores. Intime Department Store, meanwhile, will carry out cosmetics-related activities for customers.   In addition to offline activities, e-commerce platforms such as JD, Dmall, Alibaba and Suning are participating in the Beijing Consumption Season by hosting promotional activities centering on occasions like International Women's Day, May Day and Double Eleven shopping festival.   Beijing has large potential for consumption. In 2021, the per capita disposable income of its residents grew by 8 percent year-on-year to 75,002 yuan ($11,880). The city's per capita consumption expenditure was 43,640 yuan, an increase of 12.2 percent year-on-year, according to government data.   The city's GDP exceeded 4 trillion yuan last year, and its per capita GDP reached 184,000 yuan with a permanent resident population of 21.89 million.  

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    Anta Sports revenue and profits rise strongly

    Pedestrians pass an Anta store in Shanghai on March 18.   Xiamen-based Anta Sports Products Limited on March 21st announced full-year revenue of 49.3 billion yuan ($7.7 billion), up 38.9 percent year-on-year in 2021, with operating profit rising 20.1 percent to 11 billion yuan, propelled by strong growth in its Anta and Fila segments, despite the latter's growth rate slipping in the second half of the year.   If the momentum of posting growth for eight consecutive years continues, it would enable the brand to surpass Nike China in terms of sales in the same way it has exceeded Adidas China, the company said based on compiled industry data.   Data from Euromonitor International, a global consumer market research firm, said Anta Group's domestic sports shoe and apparel market share increased by 1 percentage point to 16.2 percent year-on-year in 2021, rising to second place from the third in 2020.Adidas China stood at 14.8 percent, as Anta narrowed the gap with Nike China.   Industry insiders said the rising cultural identity among Chinese has propelled many domestic consumers to turn to national brands. Keywords like "Guochao"-a Chinese phrase referring to homegrown style-have been gaining ground. This has resulted in expanding market share for many domestic sportswear brands, Anta said.   Euromonitor data showed that by relying on Anta and Fila, Anta Group accounts for two of the top five brands in China's sports shoes and clothing market. The Anta brand still leads domestic sports brands in terms of revenue and market share, while Fila maintains the highest growth rate of international brands in the Chinese market.   Li Ning Sports in 2021 posted 22.6 billion yuan in full year revenue, a rise of 56 percent compared with the year-earlier period. Net profits climbed from 11.7 percent to 17.8 percent year-on-year, thanks to better control of the COVID-19 pandemic and the popularity of major sports events.   The Anta Group's fiscal report of 2021 shows that its main Anta brand has seen revenue jump by 52.5 percent year-on-year to 24.01 billion yuan, contributing to 48.7 percent of the group's overall revenue. The ratio is up from 44.3 percent in the prior year. The company operated 9,403 Anta stores, a decline from its peak of 10,516 in 2019.   Zhang Qing, founder of Key-Solution Sports Consulting, a sports marketing and consulting company based in Beijing, said the Anta brand has improved its number of directly-operated stores and quality of the retailing terminals by upgrading many into flagship stores, boosting its per-square-meter efficiency of store space.   The two recent Olympic Games have also strengthened its market recognition, as the brand has sponsored 22 Chinese National Olympic teams through outfits for their competitions, said Zhang.   However, its high-end fashion sports brand Fila has shown slower growth compared with its rapid expansion in the past. Fila brand's revenue increased by 25.1 percent year-on-year to 21.8 billion yuan, contributing to 44.2 percent of the group's total revenue.   The ratio was 49.1 percent in 2020. In the second half of 2021, the growth rate of Fila sank to the single digit at 6.8 percent from 51 percent in the first half, largely due to the performance of Fila Fusion, a trendy sports brand.   Zhang said the slowdown of Fila brands is natural given its high-speed growth in consecutive months. He said there is still a market for medium-and-high-end sports fashion products, which has matched Fila's market position.   The continuation of Fila's strong momentum is unrealistic, as the brand faces mounting competition from rival sports brands and global fashion brands. Whether its sub-brands Fila Kids and Fila Fusion are able to find growth opportunities is key to Fila's future prospects, he said.   Zhang is optimistic about the group's rising brands due to their high-end quality and clear market position in further penetration of first-tier cities.   "Top shopping malls and retailers in the country have voted for these brands by offering them prominent store locations," he said of brands such as Descente, Kolon and Amer Sports.   On Anta Group's forecast in exceeding the revenues of Nike China and Adidas China by the end of this year, Zhang said it is a race that will be no surprise.   "The rising recognition among Chinese Gen Z consumers will give a spur to the performance of Anta Group this year," he said. Digitalization is a priority for Anta Group as the company said it will further invest in the area, focusing on upgrading membership system, member services and the operation of different platforms to improve online and offline retail performance and achieve diversification in sales platforms. Last year, its revenue generated from e-commerce grew 50 percent year-on-year, accounting for about 29 percent of the total revenue.   The digital supply chain platform, digital logistics network of regional warehouses and cloud warehouses, and data interoperability across the full value chain, will also help the company increase the quantity and efficiency of direct distribution to stores and empower brands to grow and develop more effective cost management and operational efficiency, the company said.  

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    Samsung ups ante in China market

    Consumers check out Samsung smartphones at a store in Shanghai on Friday.   World's biggest smartphone maker banks on localization to reach more buyers   South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is ramping up its localization efforts and looking to capture a bigger slice of China's premium smartphone segment amid mounting competition from Apple Inc and Chinese handset makers.   Industry experts said the tech heavyweight is still facing enormous challenges and pressure in regaining Chinese consumers' confidence and rejuvenating its sluggish sales in the world's largest smartphone market. More efforts should be made to improve its brand image, cooperate with local partners and expand offline and online retail channels.   Some South Korean media outlets said the company has set up a Chinese business innovation team to back its human resource management and marketing, and shore up its mobile and consumer electronics business.   The new team will report directly to Samsung Vice-Chairman and CEO Han Jong-hee, who is head of the newly merged unit for mobile devices and home appliances called the DX Division, the reports said. However, Samsung Electronics declined to confirm the launch of the team.   In addition, Samsung unveiled two new flagship smartphones, Galaxy S22 and S22+, which feature upgraded artificial intelligence-powered cameras, in China on Feb 22, in a bid to reclaim lost sales as competition in the country's phone market intensifies.   Wang Xi, research manager of global market consultancy IDC, said that in the short term Apple Inc and Huawei Technologies Co have gained higher recognition among Chinese consumers in the high-end smartphone market.   Meanwhile, other homegrown brands are eyeing the premium segment and beefing up efforts in technological innovation, research and development, and optimization of the Android operating system, Wang added. "More intense competition is coming in 2022 as no vendors are likely to give up their crown in a lucrative market."   Though the world's biggest smartphone maker, Samsung has been struggling in China over the past few years. According to market consultancy Strategy Analytics, Samsung's sales accounted for only 0.6 percent of the Chinese market in the first quarter of 2021, while the figure in 2013 was some 20 percent.   Samsung is intensifying its localization push to revitalize sales in China. It recently inked a strategic partnership with livestreaming platform Mango TV, and the partners will carry out cooperation in video ecosystems, content output among different devices and R&D in cutting-edge technologies. It also collaborated with Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc in the field of internet of vehicles.   A report released by Canalys, a market research firm, said the shipment of smartphones rose 3 percent year-on-year to 86.6 million units in China in the fourth quarter.   Apple shipped 21.5 million smartphones in China in the fourth quarter and regained top position for the first time since the first quarter of 2015, accounting for a 25 percent market share, thanks to the release of the iPhone 13 series.   Oppo ranked second with 14.3 million units with a strong focus on its mid-to-high portfolio business. Honor consolidated its position in the top three with 14.2 million smartphones shipped, the report said.   "The shipments of smartphones priced more than $800 almost doubled in 2021 compared with 2020, which accounted for about 16 percent of China's smartphone market last year," said Amber Liu, a research analyst at Canalys, adding more handset makers will enter the premium smartphone segment.   China will remain the world's largest high-end smartphone market in 2022, Liu said.   "Gaining a meaningful share in the high-end segment gives vendors early access to innovative technologies and component supply security, as well as negotiating power in channel cooperation."   Although Samsung topped the list in the global smartphone market for several years, its brand awareness among Chinese consumers is not high, she added. Samsung needs to strengthen brand building and operation, as well as expand online and offline retail channels through collaboration with local partners, she added.   Zhang Mengmeng, research analyst at Counterpoint Research, a market research provider, also said Samsung will still encounter some difficulties in the high-end smartphone market in China, which is currently dominated by Apple's iPhones, and many users of Huawei's smartphones are switching to iPhones.   Although the shipment of Huawei's smartphones dropped dramatically last year due to US government restrictions, other domestic brands have worked hard. But none of them has succeeded in expanding their presence in the premium segment, Zhang said, adding it takes a long time to nurture a high-end phone brand.  

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    Qeelin launches flagship store on JD.com

    Source: Qeelin   Qeelin, Kering Group’s jewelry brand, launched a flagship store on JD.com on 22nd February.     As the first brand of Kering Group to cooperate with JD, Qeelin launched three jewelry series and other top items and collections for JD.com users, including  the Wulu collection, Yu Yi collection and BoBo collection.    Specifically, the Wulu collection interprets the mythical powers of the Hulu, a Chinese gourd as a symbol of positivity and hope. The Yu Yi series is another of Qeelin’s iconic collections that refers to dreams and love, as well as a symbol of peace and friendship represented in the Qeelin BoBo collection. Every piece carries a cultural connotation, from necklaces, bracelets, and earrings to other exquisite jewelry.   JD has gathered more than 300 flagship stores of world renowned brands in the area of fashion and family living, covering jewelry, clothing, luggage, shoes and boots, home furnishing, watches, etc. Among them, LVMH Group’s top luxury brands such as LV Louis Vuitton, BVLGARI, DIOR, GIVENCHY, LOEWE, and other top luxury brands have partnered with JD.com.    Source: retailinasia.com  

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    OnTheList Opens at Taikoo Place

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   The members-only flash sales platform is expanding its footprint in Hong Kong with its latest showroom set to open in Taikoo Place on Monday 28 February.   Located in Oxford House, the showroom spans an area of 11,000sq ft across an entire floor which has now been branded the ‘OnTheList’ floor. The space will house around 20,000 units, welcoming only more brand partners to collaborate with.   The Taikoo Place showroom design is highlighted with high ceilings, marble finishings and an array of mirrors. Meanwhile, digital screens will be installed throughout the space, bringing the offline and online experiences.   Diego Dultzin Lacoste, Co-Founder, OnTheList, said: “It brings me much pleasure to unveil a sparkling new showroom, double in size, that gives us the opportunity to show off the ever-expanding amount of offerings and an elevated level of customer service to our members. Expansion, whilst encouraging a circular economy with a focus on sustainability is at the core of what we do, and we are proud to be at a space that aligns with our vision and commitments.”   Source: www.rli.uk.com  

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    Dyson opens first owner centre in Hong Kong

    Source: Dyson   Reinforcing its commitment to Hong Kong, Dyson announced the opening of its first owner centre in Hong Kong on 21st February.   Located in Mongkok, Hong Kong, the 4.500 square feet centre provides convenient product servicing, technical support, expert advice, and exclusive trade-in offers and personalisation services.   It features a walk-in bar and a repair facility where Dyson engineers and spare parts are on site to speed up repairs and avoid shipping machines elsewhere for servicing. Also, the Centre will be staffed by a team of product experts and service engineers to provide technical advice, and onsite repair services.    To celebrate the opening of the Dyson Owner Centre from March, Dyson also kicks off the Dyson Owners Month with exclusive owner benefits to upgrade their current machines for Dyson’s latest technologies.   Source: retailinasia.com  

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    Famous Thailand-Born Café Opens in Hong Kong

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   The After You Dessert Café has opened its first overseas location in Causeway Bay, following a highly-successful Christmas pop-up in 2021.   Situated on Tang Lung Street, the new café features a calming white tone with light-coloured wooden furniture, intended to transport guests to Thailand’s cafes that are commonly fashioned as ‘little white houses.’   Most of the items on the menu are prepared according to the original recipe, and guests can expect to enjoy the brand’s signature kakigori (Japanese shaved rice) – mango sticky rice, Thai tea, strawberry cheesecake, and Milo volcano, honey toasts and other sought-after sweet treats.   Turning to drinks, four of the brand’s best-selling teas and sodas are featured on the new menu, as well as original Hong Kong-inspired concoctions and coffee beverages made with highly-rated P&R coffee beans from Australia.   The café’s final offering is its packaged goods, with customers able to get their hands on items such as pancake mix, salted egg nuggets, Shibuya honey syrup and more.   Source: www.rli.uk.com  

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    This Works Eyes Growth in China

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   The UK sleep and wellness brand continues to grow in China thanks to high consumer demand for sleep products with the launch of a new store on Alibaba’s Tmall Global platform.   The launch on Tmall Global for This Works signifies a major milestone for the award-winning UK sleep and wellness brand to continue its strong growth trajectory in China. With China’s health and wellness industry estimated to grow by 19.2 per cent to $145.1bn by 2025, sleep is one of the fastest-growing categories across Tmall Global.   Followings its initial entry into China in 2019, This Works saw high demand for its range of pioneering pillow spray products – a natural sleep solution that helps to ease restless sleeping patterns and sleep anxiety – which they sold via a distributor.   The launch of the new Tmall Global store will enable This Works to sell a wider range and variety of its sleep-enhancing products. To celebrate the store opening, This Works is re-releasing its classic Sleep Plus Pillow Spray product, a fast-acting, motion-activated sleep spray for restless sleepers including 99 per cent natural encapsulated Lavender, Camomile and Vetivert essential oils, shown to help restore normal sleep patterns.   Source: www.rli.uk.com  

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    Ambush Opens Shanghai Store

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   Since inception in 2008, the Tokyo-based brand has seen steady growth has led to the opening of pop-up stores and standalone boutiques. Now the brand has opened a ground floor unit at Taikoo Li Qiantan.   The newly opened luxury shopping centre in Shanghai’s Liujiazhai neighbourhood, Taikoo Li Qiantan, is home to the Ambush store, which boasts a retail space that features an understated and slightly futuristic setting by putting a large sphere front and centre. This sphere is essentially a digital blank canvas that allows the store to continuously feature branded content whilst also boldly signalling the company’s modern vision.   Placed on a pedestal, the large sphere comes with prominent circular and semi-circular ceiling slots, from which light spots protrude, further visually enhancing its stature within the store. It is flanked on both sides by suspended clothing rails which run along nearly the entire length of the store’s side walls.   The newly-inaugurated store is home to the brand’s jewellery pieces and a collection of men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, bags and shoes.   Source: www.rli.uk.com  

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    L Catterton invests in Shanghai Enova Pet Products

    Source: Shanghai Enova Pet Products   Global consumer-focused private equity firm, L Catterton, announced on 18th February that it has invested in Shanghai Enova Pet Products (“Enova”), the owner of Pure & Natural, a leading domestic premium pet food brand in China. This marks L Catterton’s foray into China’s pet food market, leveraging the firm’s global experience in the sector and capabilities in building enduring brands.   The investment comes amid the rapid growth of China’s pet food market, which has expanded considerably over the past five years. With pet owners increasingly seeking higher quality, more nutritious food for their pets, the premium segment is experiencing the fastest growth and is expected to more than triple over the next five years.   Enova is vertically integrated, with a robust supply chain and an extensive presence across offline and online channels in China. The company has established strong relationships with strategic distribution and retail partners over the years, enabling it to access numerous points of sale including specialty stores and pet hospitals across the country. Its products are also sold on major e-commerce platforms through its direct-to-consumer Tmall and TikTok flagship stores, as well as various distribution partners including JD.com and Tmall Supermarket. Enova continues to capitalise on digital marketing avenues to amplify Pure & Natural’s brand visibility and reach.   “Macro trends such as rising disposable incomes and the increasing humanisation of pets provide favorable tailwinds for the premium pet food category in China,” commented Scott Chen, a Managing Partner of L Catterton Asia. “Enova is well positioned to benefit from these trends, given its strong research and development capabilities, superior product quality, as well as significant and expanding omnichannel presence. We look forward to partnering with Enova’s experienced and proven management team to drive further growth.”   “Enova is on a mission to help pets live life to the fullest. With a focus on science and pets’ natural diets, we are committed to producing pet food with balanced nutritional profiles and high-quality ingredients,” said Enova Founder and CEO Herman Zhao. “We had proprietary, bespoke dialogues with L Catterton for some time and are impressed by the firm’s deep domain knowledge and insights stemming from its investments in the pet industry across geographies. L Catterton’s investment will catalyse the next stage of our growth as the firm has an abundance of world-class strategic and operating expertise in the pet food space which we can harness to further build the Pure & Natural brand, drive top-line growth, and broaden our suite of products. We are excited about the journey ahead as we continue working to offer premium pet food that brings delight to consumers and their beloved pets.”   L Catterton has experience investing globally in the pet food space. Current and past investments in this space include Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, Butternut Box, Canidae, Inspired Pet Nutrition, JustFoodForDogs, Lily’s Kitchen, Nature’s Variety, Petlove, and Wellness Pet Food Company.   Source: retailinasia.com  

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    Macau’s First PizzaExpress Store Opens

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   The London-based eatery is expanding its presence in the Asia region by opening its first store in Macau.   Located in the heart of Taipa at Nova Mall, The PizzaExpress Macau restaurant is surrounded by more than 100 local and luxury brands along with high-grade residential space above. Besides the launch of the new franchise, the pizza maker also builds the PizzaExpress ‘cares’ heritage by making a strong bond with the local NGO and Oxfam. The restaurant will donate MOP6 from the sale of the Piccolo menu and given food to help disadvantaged communities in the region.   Jeff Chan, Business Owner of PizzaExpress Macau, said: “My first encounter with PizzaExpress was while studying in London and when I returned to Macau, I missed the flavour so much I used to travel to Hong Kong just to get a taste of PE. It is this unforgettable experience that I want to bring to Macau.”   The Macau store takes PizzaExpress’s network to more than 470 restaurants across the UK and 11 other markets, including Hong Kong, India, Spain and China.   Source: www.rli.uk.com

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    Beauty Retailer Bonnie&Clyde Expands Chinese Footprint

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   Bonnie&Clyde, China’s online and offline luxury beauty and lifestyle retailer owned by USHOPAL Group, has released their 2021 results, reinforcing their market-leading position in the luxury beauty retail sector.   Galvanised by their strong growth, Bonnie&Clyde will double their retail presence to twelve locations in 2022, covering all the top luxury malls in East, Central, West and South China. New locations include luxury malls from Chengdu IFS, Changsha IFS, and Nanjing Deji. In addition, the company has signed a partnership with China duty-free group, CDF, to further expand in the travel retail sector in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hainan.   In 2021, expanding to six stores across top-tier malls, Bonnie&Clyde’s average ticket value exceeded US$1,259, as luxury consumers sought out the luxe experiential shopping that is the hallmark of Bonnie&Clyde.   The brand is known among young customers in China for its omni-channel retail model with a ‘6+365’ license, which allows consumers to try out all cross-border products in-store, purchase online through Bonnie & Clyde’s mini-program, then receive the products within four hours in Shanghai.   Bonnie&Clyde also introduced to the China market several global brands including Japanese brand SUQQU, Natura Bissé, and Zaha Hadid Design, among others.   Source: www.rli.uk.com  

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    Hoka Releases New Global Store Concept

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   Footwear and apparel brand Hoka has collaborated with Design agency Green Room to launch a new global store concept in China and Southeast Asia.   Inspired by flights and aimed at empowering athletes to ‘take flight over the globe’, Green Room has chosen this design concept to “create a sense of movement that fits a new home for Hoka’s products”.   Kinetic overhead lighting helps recreate the natural flight of a flock of starlings, a phenomenon known as a murmuration. The agency said that the movement is designed to change pace, which shifts customers’ sense of space and draws them deeper into it. There is also an elevated experiential space at the heart of the store where customers can test a pair of Hokas on a treadmill prior to making their purchase decision.   According to Green Room, the store space is intended to be more than just a shop. A ‘rolling table’ is set as a space to connect, educate and inspire, hosting local talks on nutrition or weekly running club meetings, for example. Lockers are provided to store customers’ personal belongings and a hydration station offers information about how to stay refreshed.   Plants are placed at the entrances of the stores, using local botanicals to represent a subtle local identity. The space is created with lightweight furniture while the merchandising system is installed from ceiling to floor, to accommodate the brand’s campaigns.   Source: www.rli.uk.com  

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    Adidas Originals with First Flagship Store in China

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   The brand has opened its first Originals flagship store in Chengdu, China in the popular Sino-Ocean Chengdu Taikoo Li Shopping District.   Bringing together traditional and modern elements, the new store is housed in a very well-preserved, centuries-old cultural building, the Majiaxiang Asarm (1840). The building is made of stone and wood in the late Qing Dynasty and Adidas explains that it is a courtyard house with three separate rooms and a central courtyard.   With a total area of 525sq m and a sales area of 367sq m, a glass structure connects the three spaces whilst preserving the courtyard and two existing trees. The entrance area of the store is the central campaign area where all the new products of the store are presented. The large room presents the shoe gallery and the brand’s range of sneakers meanwhile a small room of the courtyard has been converted into changing rooms and the central courtyard houses the clothing range and the maker lab.   In the restoration and redesign of the space, Adidas has maintained the ‘utmost respect for history and culture, and tailored many of the design ideas to the original features of the building.’   Source: www.rli.uk.com  

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    Lanvin opens a pop-up café in Sanya

    Source: Lanvin   French luxury house Lanvin has opened a pop-up café in The Atlantis resort, Sanya.   At the new Pop-up LANVIN Café, guests can enjoy the exquisite LANVIN Babar Afternoon Tea Set for two at RMB 418 (approximate of US$ 65.7).or 8 custom desserts while taking in the views of The Ambassador Lagoon. Guests are invited to take a photo with baby elephant Babar in the sparkling “undersea” installation.   Source: Lanvin   The limited-time Pop-up LANVIN Café runs from 15th January to 20th February at Poseidon’s Court in The Atlantis.   Source: retailinasia.com  

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    Record Store Openings Drive Yum China Sales Growth

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   Yum China grew its sales by 19 per cent last year to US$9.85bn despite multiple waves of Covid Delta outbreaks in the fourth quarter.   The company closed the December financial year with net income up 26 per cent to $990M. Yum China’s growth followed a record rate of net new store openings last year, adding 1,282 to take its network to 11,788. On a same-store basis, sales rose by just one per cent.   By channel, Pizza Hut sales rose by 14 per cent and KFC sales rose by eight per cent, but on a same-store basis, they rose by seven per cent in Pizza Hut and fell by three per cent at KFC. The company said “fluid” Covid-19 conditions caused “significant volatilities” during the fourth quarter, with same-store sales beginning to recover in early October, then falling again the following month.   Subsequent to year-end, same-store sales in January have improved modestly, the company said. “But compared with the comparable Chinese New Year holiday period in 2021, same-store sales were still down year on year. The situation remains volatile,” said the company in a statement.   Source: www.rli.uk.com  

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    Delvaux celebrates its 10th anniversary in China

    Source: Delvaux   The Belgian luxury house released ‘Beijing Stories’, a short film starring Chinese actresses Yong Mei, Liu Shishi, and Wen Qi to celebrate its 10 years milestone in China.   The film celebrates Beijing’s heritage from the point of view of China’s emerging filmmaker Mai Zi. It follows the three Chinese actresses as they explore the spirit and charm of the Chinese capital through their own perspectives from three different generations. They visit historic sites like the Drum Tower, the Temple of Wisdom and the modern China World Mall.   Beijing’s blend of tradition and modernity reflect the spirit of Delvaux, renowned for its impeccable craftsmanship and heritage.   ‘Beijing Stories’ is the latest addition to Delvaux ‘City Series’ of short films.   Source: retailinasia.com  

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    Cettire enters China’s online luxury market

      Global luxury retailer Cettire has entered China’s online luxury market as it plans to tap country’s potential to become the world’s largest market for personal luxury goods.   China is expected to lead in terms of personal luxury goods by 2025, accounting for 25% of the global market, estimated to be worth A$600b. Cettire noted this could lead to around A$150b market opportunity for the company.   “Our entry into China is a significant milestone towards our goal of being the world’s largest luxury destination,” Cettire Founder and CEO Dean Mintz said.   “China represents a vast market opportunity and it is core to our strategy to make our world class proposition available to additional markets.” Its mainland propositions will be available to Cinese consumers starting the second half of the year.   In line with this, Cettire also partnered with JD.com to leverage of its strengths as a leading Chinese e-commerce platform.   Through the partnership, Cettire will become accessible to Chinese consumers. It will also allow the company to provide post-sale support.   “The partnership represents the first step in our China market entry and provides an opportunity to test and learn the market with the support of an exceptional partner with significant market presence,” Mintz said.     On top of its China entry and JD.com partnership, Cettire has also been developing a local talent pool with engineering capabilities in Mainland China.   This is intended to support the development of features specific to the Chinese market, including launching Chinese language websites to all existing markets.   Source: retailasia.net  

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    Chaumet sees dazzling opportunities in China

    [Photo provided to China Daily]   French high-jewelry house Chaumet is seeing huge opportunities from the Chinese market with more stores in the pipeline, after it saw significant double-digit growth in the nation last year, a senior executive said. "China is an extraordinarily important market because Chinese customers are among the most important for us and they have a real love for Chaumet, a narrative house that has crossed centuries," said Jean-Marc Mansvelt, CEO of Chaumet. The remarks came as Chaumet has been in China for some 15 years, and the brand has run into an accelerated expansion in the nation, with more local stores opened for customers. By the end of 2021, Chaumet had 27 shops in the world's second-largest luxury market. "This year, we plan to open at least three new stores in new towns but still in a selective state. There will be projects around high-jewelry and customer experiences depending on the state of health,"Mansvelt said. Chaumet has experienced growing success since 2017 in China, and experienced significant double-digit growth last year. The senior executive attributed the success partly to their growing popularity and consumers in search of distinction. "The jewelry market is booming in China and there is an amazing opportunity," Mansvelt said. Data from the Gems and Jewelry Trade Association of China showed that sales in China's jewelry market reached 610 billion yuan ($96.2 billion) in 2020. As the consumption upgrade gains momentum, China's jewelry market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.1 percent to hit 770 billion yuan in 2026, according to Euromonitor International, a United Kingdom-based market research company. The burgeoning market invites intense competition. Mansvelt believes that as a brand with a 241-year heritage, Chaumet's uniqueness helps it stand out. "Ultimately, there are very few historic, authentic brands with equivalent values (in China). There is room for everyone and we have a special place, because we are a very old house with a historical dimension, longevity and transmission," Mansvelt said. He said Chaumet does not judge its group of particular clientele by age. "What interests us is clients looking for a distinction, so it is not a question of age but a state of mind. An object of jewelry is for oneself, but it is also one for the others." To better resonate with Chinese consumers, Chaumet held an exhibition called Tiara Dream in Beijing in November. "We are constantly trying to both tell the long story and then talk to the generations of today in today's modalities," Mansvelt said. Those efforts dovetail with a generational shift in China's luxury market, as Generation Z consumers are becoming a major consumer group. A research report from consulting firm Oliver Wyman said China's luxury fashion market in 2021 is being propelled by a cohort of 1.5 million consumers whose average annual spending on luxury products has exceeded 40,000 yuan. Among them, 50 percent bought luxury fashion items for the first time between October 2020 and September 2021. It is this surge in first-time luxury fashion consumers that is expected to be responsible for 88 percent of China's luxury fashion market growth in 2021, Oliver Wyman said. "A lot of consumers who might have spent money on traveling before other things, especially younger Gen-Z consumers, have instead entered the luxury category," said Imke Wouters, retail and consumer goods partner at Oliver Wyman, adding 40 percent of the first-time luxury consumers surveyed were under 25 years old. Chaumet noticed the shift quite early on, and it is working to better engage Gen Z consumers with digital technologies. During its offline Tiara Dream exhibition, for instance, Chaumet also launched an online exhibition on WeChat and reported a viewership of more than 2.5 million. "We are using the means Gen Z consumers use, but at the same time, it's also a generation that is attached to authentic houses that tell a real story over the long term. To reach them, we cannot only use the tools of modernity, but it is also by telling who we are, authentically," Mansvelt said. "We want a balance between modernity and the past with the right dosage."   Source: global.chinadaily.com.cn  

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    Starbucks brews to flow through Meituan

    [Photo/Agencies]   Starbucks China has added a new delivery platform to its bouquet of services in China, in the form of a presence on Meituan, an e-commerce and delivery mobile app. This additional channel, Starbucks said, will enable its customers to better connect with the brand and its services offered through local stores, besides enriching individual experiences. Starbucks services are already available online through WeChat mini program, mobile app and Ele.me, a food delivery and online shopping app. Now, through Meituan, Starbucks will offer private bookings for coffee experiences at select stores. More than 60 Starbucks quick service restaurants-QSRs-in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and Chengdu, Sichuan province, now offer this service. Starbucks said it has plans to expand this service across the market. In addition, the company has expanded its Starbucks Delivers program, a mobile order and delivery service, with more order customization features. Another new service offers customers access to Starbucks Delivers on Meituan, where Starbucks Rewards members can enjoy the same benefits they receive on Starbucks China mobile app. Beverage customization online allows consumers to more closely replicate in-store orders. This technology automatically reallocates orders to another store if a product is sold out at one store but available at a nearby store. This marks the extension of the Starbucks Reserve service to the online delivery space in China, the company said. By the end of this year, each of Starbucks 5,000 directly operated QSRs in China will have a unique page on Meituan, where customers can access Starbucks Delivers and Starbucks Now services to order food and beverages. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the share of the delivery business in Starbucks China's revenue has increased. According to its financial report to the end of October, mobile ordering services, including takeout and delivery, have accounted for 36 percent of total sales in China, much higher than 26 percent recorded in 2020 and more than twice the pre-pandemic level. Since 2018, Starbucks has worked with Alibaba's delivery platform Ele.me exclusively for its Starbucks Delivers services. The collaboration has developed spill-proof lids and tamper-proof packaging seals and delivery containers. Further, Starbucks has set up Star Kitchens in Hema Fresh, the retail unit of Alibaba. China is Starbucks' single largest market outside the United States. The company has plans to expand itself into a 6,000-store chain spanning 230 cities on the mainland by the end of this year. Li Chen, a food and drink analyst with Mintel Group, a London-based market research provider, said Starbucks' recent efforts in China reflect the awareness of fast rising competition from domestic brands. "Chinese consumers used to associate lifestyle and quality with major foreign brands. Now they are reevaluating them and checking if such brands respect the local market amid guochao, or the rise of homegrown brands, and growing consumer confidence in domestic brands," said Li. In China, coffeehouses have sought to improve the quality of their products and services constantly, especially in terms of local innovations, given their cultivated understanding of local consumers and culture, Li said. By opening small stores to reduce costs, by tapping delivery services and by offering flavor customization, domestic coffee chains have attracted younger consumers, she said.   Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn  

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    Hermes Re-Opens Pacific Place Mall Site

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   The brand has unveiled its newly refurbished store in Hong Kong’s Pacific Place mall, a site it describes as a cherished location for the house since it opened there in 1991.   The store was transformed by the Parisian architecture agency RDAI. The floor plan was expanded to 325sq m, featuring an open layout that encourages the eye to travel from one side of the store to the other. Meanwhile, the store design, following contemporary style, uses a warm colour palette, spanning beige, sun-drenched yellow and light caramel, to create a welcoming ambience.   The metal facade is inspired by optical art and crafted from overlapping graphic motifs of the house’s print and an abstract jungle landscape. Transparent glass windows allow customers to see the store’s collections and commissioned artworks from the outside. A whimsical and wildly colourful work by Finnish illustrator Kustaa Saksi animates the storefront.   Dedicated men and women’s areas are at opposite ends of the store, while the silk collections, fashion accessories, equestrian, and perfume and beauty ranges spread out from the central store entrance.   The home universe area doubles as a VIP space, featuring walls upholstered in botanical-inspired fabric. In the shoe salon, hand-woven bamboo walls present a computer-generated motif that references the modern city and its strong ties to traditional craft.   Source: www.rli.uk.com  

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    OMUSUBI launches in Hong Kong with plans to open 10,000 stores globally by 2030

    Source: OMUSUBI   On 11th January,  Hyakunousha,  the founding company of omusubi (Japanese rice balls) specialty stores hana-musubi, announced the launch of its new brand OMUSUBI in Hong Kong, unveiling a new logo,  store design, product packaging and menu. The company plans to open 10,000 OMUSUBI stores by 2030 as part of its global expansion strategy.   Hyakunousha opened their first store in Hong Kong in 2011 spreading the omusubi culture throughout the city. The group is now operating more than 100 stores.   Located at ifc mall in Hong Kong, the first OMUSUBI store was designed by Kashiwa Sato, the creative director who oversaw the branding and creative direction of UNIQLO. The store design is based on the  concept of simple, warm and contemporary Japanese style, using white cloth (noren), brass and white wood as basic materials.   OMUSUBI’s products use premium Japanese rice sourced sustainably from partner farmers in Japan, that are packaged responsibly using eco-friendly materials to make a lasting change in the community.   “Hyakunousha’s vision is ‘Creating the agriculture of the next hundred years’. Our mission is to pass on the omusubi culture that we inherited, protect agriculture, and support the lives of our customers, farmers, employees, and partners, not only for our generation, but for the next generations to come. I believe that we can redefine and reinvest in the omusubi culture born in Japan and develop it into a globally accepted food culture because we are in Hong Kong, a city of diversity,” said Mr. Muneo Nishida, Managing Director and Founder of Hyakunousha International Limited.   The Group plans to open 2,000 OMUSUBI stores by 2025, mainly in Asia to reach 10,000 stores globally by 2030. With its expansion plan, the maximum annual use of Japanese rice on brown rice basis would be increased to 140,000 tons, which accounts for about 2 percent of the total production of rice as a staple food in Japan. Approximately 50,000 jobs will be directly created by the  expansion while the maximum daily production volume will be 10 million pieces of omusubi. The brand targets to achieve carbon neutrality for the entire group by 2030.   Source: retailinasia.com  

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    Japanese sportswear brand Goldwin opens first flagship store in China

    Source: Goldwin   Japanese high performance sportswear brand, Goldwin, opened its first flagship store in Beijing, China on 27th December 2021. Following the opening of Goldwin San Francisco in 2019 and Goldwin Munich in 2020, the new flagship is the third brand-owned flagship store outside Japan.   Located at Taikoo Li Sanlitun shopping centre in Beijing, China, the new store concept was designed in collaboration with the Japanese architectural firm New Material Research Laboratory. Using traditional materials,  the store features Goldwin’s range of technical clothing.   The retail space is composed of three kinds of materials, all representing a unique Japanese aesthetic: Oya stone, a distinctive tuff stone typical of the region, precious old Nikko and Jindai cedar, and blackened steel with colorful patina created during the manufacturing process. The temperature, acoustics, and air quality are different from anything found in a modern city inviting customers to relax.   Founded in the 1950s in Japan, Goldwin manufactures and markets sportswear for skiing, snowboarding, soccer, tennis, swimming, and other outdoor activities. Goldwin debuted its outdoor and athletic collections as well as C3fit collection, a line of compression gear in 2019.   Source: retailinasia.com  

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    Audemars Piguet Launches Second AP House in Hong Kong

    Source: www.rli.uk.com   Located in K11 Musea on the Kowloon Peninsula, it provides the perfect setting for watch aficionados to relax, reflect, connect or disconnect, while enjoying the breath-taking view of Victoria Harbour.   Designed as an authentic home away from home for lovers of the brand, the AP House concept was created in collaboration with some of the Manufacture’s most valued clients, answering the question: What more could we do to enhance your Audemars Piguet experience?   This question was raised by the Audemars Piguet team, who tried to imagine how brand founders Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet would deal with their clients if they were living in the 21st century, travelling the world and sharing their passion for beautiful watches. The result is a space where the comfort of home and the warmth of friendship take priority.   “We are excited to introduce a second AP House to Hong Kong so as to bring the brand’s renowned hospitality to both sides of the iconic Victoria Harbour and continue to offer unique experiences to AP lovers,” said Peggy Hu, Chief Executive Officer, Greater China.   The AP House at K11 MUSEA complements the first AP House in Hong Kong and Asia opened at H Queen’s in the heart of the Central business district in 2018. It features a façade with liquid steel panels in a gold shade that exude an air of exclusivity and mystery. Stepping inside, the welcome foyer gives clients an immediate sense of homecoming. Designed like a small gallery, it features a velvet padded and textured wallcovering conveying warmth, comfort and a tactile experience that extends to the rest of the 186sq m urban retreat.   Source: www.rli.uk.com  

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