Tianjin is firing on all cylinders in its commercial sector for the second half of the year, with two new Sam's Clubs opening one after another and the historic Quanyechang Department Store making a comeback.
Over the past two years, Tianjin's commercial sector has completely bid farewell to the extensive incremental growth model, and shifted to the deep-water zone of stock development centered on cultural context activation and sector gap filling.
From Tianjin Longfor Meijiang Paradise Walk filling the commercial gap in the old Meijiang sector, to the youth-oriented renovation of Peace Impression City and Geely Mansion in Jinjie business district, to the cross-border reuse of industrial heritage such as TEDA Jinyi·PARK and Tian Tuo·Xiangwang 1956... The commercial framework has been basically completed, and the subsequent competition will all focus on granularity and scenario creation capability.
In the first half of 2026, there were no new commercial projects launched in Tianjin's market (statistics only cover shopping malls, department stores and outlet centers), while a number of new delivery nodes are coming in the second half of the year. According to incomplete statistics from Winshang Data, a total of 11 commercial projects and 2 Sam's Club stores are expected to open one after another from the second half of the year to the end of the year across the city, with the new commercial floor area exceeding 630,000 ㎡. The fine granularity and rich hierarchy of this round of opening boom are rare in Tianjin's commercial increment in recent years.
In terms of administrative district distribution, Heping District and Dongli District form the "dual core" of commercial supply in the second half of the year, but the two follow completely different paths. Heping District has two major projects, Quanyechang and Jinwan Xinjie NEWBAY, anchored on culture and night economy, to continuously strengthen the cultural, tourism and business integration attribute of the core business district; Dongli District, with multiple projects including Jinyu Jiapin Mall, Dongli New Yipin Plaza, Huatingli Block Plaza and Sam's Club, has become the main battlefield of commercial upgrading in eastern Tianjin.
Meanwhile, projects are also launched in Jinnan, Xiqing, Baodi, Beichen, Hongqiao and Binhai New Area. The peripheral urban areas are no longer commercial depressions, but rely on more segmented positioning to meet the local consumption upgrading demand.
In terms of operator composition, it can be divided into four types of forces: external state-owned enterprises and professional commercial management companies represented by Beijing Jinyu Group and Beijing Huanju Commercial Management; local state-owned assets represented by Quanye Hualian and Dongli Urban Investment; real estate-backed light asset commercial management brand output represented by China Construction Real Estate; and village collective economic transformation represented by Zhangjiawo Village Share Cooperative.
In terms of floor area structure, small and medium-sized projects with a floor area below 50,000 ㎡ account for more than 60%, and there are only 3 regional complexes with a floor area above 100,000 ㎡. Behind this data change is the transformation of Tianjin's commerce from "large and comprehensive" to "small and beautiful". The market no longer blindly pursues super-large floor area, but tends to match segmented customer groups with accurate scale, reducing operational risks while improving commercial efficiency.
In terms of project types, stock renovation remains the main theme, and more than 40% of the projects come from the renewal and upgrading of old shopping malls and cultural relic protection buildings, and the commercial value of urban renewal continues to be released. At the same time, the innovation of commercial forms is also accelerating: youth night entertainment complexes, industrial-style blocks, new Chinese-style commerce, fourth-generation membership supermarkets... New formats keep emerging, breaking the single form of traditional shopping malls and making Tianjin's commercial ecosystem more diversified.
Representative projects scheduled to open in Tianjin in the second half of 2026 (the following projects are not sorted in any priority)
01.
Core Business District Renewal
Jinwan Xinjie NEWBAY
Commercial floor area: 22,000 ㎡
Activating the night economy of Jiefang North Road
Located in Building 6 of Jinwan Plaza, Jinwan Xinjie NEWBAY has a total floor area of 22,000 ㎡, operated by Beijing Huanju Commercial Management Co., Ltd., and is scheduled to open in November 2026. It is one of the few vertical youth-oriented commercial complexes in Tianjin's core business district.
The operating party Huanju Commercial has a very unique background: its parent company, Starlight Sports, is a leading global digital entertainment group and an Asian e-sports Nasdaq-listed company, with the qualification to host international e-sports events.
The project accurately targets the night consumption demand of Generation Z, positions itself as a "youth night entertainment complex", and plans to introduce the first LIVESHOW store in Tianjin and 7 special theme bars, to build a night consumption ecosystem integrating live performances, beverage socializing and trend experience. Relying on the excellent Haihe River landscape resources of Jinwan Plaza, the project will create a scenario-based night consumption space and become a new landmark of Tianjin's nightlife.
For the Jiefang North Road-Jinwan business district, the previous formats were mainly focused on business office and cultural tourism sightseeing, with relatively single night consumption scenarios. The launch of Jinwan Xinjie will accurately activate the night vitality of the area, form complementarity with surrounding office buildings and cultural tourism attractions, and build an all-day consumption pattern of daytime business and nighttime leisure.
Tianjin Quanyechang
Commercial floor area: 53,700 ㎡
Cultural return of the century-old commercial landmark
"You have not been to Tianjin if you don't visit Quanyechang". This national key cultural relic protection building, which was first built in 1928, is about to complete the renovation and renewal before the end of December 2026, and return to Tianjin's commercial stage. The project is located at No. 290 Heping Road, operated by Tianjin Quanye Hualian Group, with a commercial floor area of 53,700 ㎡ after renovation.
Source: official project release
The project is positioned as an activated commerce of cultural relic protection buildings, deliberately forming differentiated competition with the nearby Riverside 66 and Tianhe City, taking the cultural commerce route. Its core highlight is to deeply explore the historical and cultural IP of "Eight Heavens", integrate traditional folk art, immersive performance with modern commercial scenarios, and build a cultural commercial landmark with both historical depth and youthful vitality. In terms of investment attraction, it focuses on time-honored brand upgrading, cultural experience and characteristic catering, relying on the historical heritage of the building itself to customize exclusive cultural consumption products.
It will inject unique cultural recognition into the core business district and become a benchmark work for the integrated development of culture, tourism and commerce in Tianjin.
02.
Regional Sector Gap Filling
Jinyu Jiapin Mall
Commercial floor area: 150,000 ㎡
Reshaping the commercial pattern of northern Tianjin
As the largest commercial project in the second half of the year, Jinyu Jiapin Mall is located at the intersection of Huijie Road and Jinzhonghe Street in Dongli District, developed by Beijing Jinyu Group, with a total floor area of 150,000 ㎡, including a 127,000 ㎡ shopping mall and a 23,000 ㎡ OPENPARK outdoor open space, which is scheduled to officially open in the third quarter of 2026.
Source: official project release
Positioned as a "one-stop family consumption shopping mall", the project accurately targets the long-term lack of high-quality comprehensive commerce in northern Tianjin, and takes the introduction of first stores and flagship stores as its core advantage. Among the more than 150 brands expected to be introduced, the proportion of first-entry brands in Tianjin and the local sector exceeds 40%, covering all formats including boutique retail, theme catering, parent-child entertainment and life services. At present, it has successfully introduced anchor stores such as UME Cinema, Haorui Fitness and Dumabao.
In terms of space, the project breaks the traditional mode of closed shopping malls, and builds the 23,000 ㎡ OPENPARK into the "second living room" of the commerce, carrying multiple functions such as outdoor markets, parent-child sports and trend exhibitions, realizing the natural connection of indoor and outdoor scenarios. Up to now, the project's investment attraction signing rate has exceeded 90%.
CSCEC Haijiao Fulin Hui, CSCEC Guozhan Fulin Hui
Sample of CSCEC's "15-minute living circle"
CSCEC Real Estate (Tianjin) has laid out two Fulin Hui projects at the same time in Jinnan, forming a commercial management mode of brand output × light asset agency construction.
Haijiao Fulin Hui is located in the core area of Haijiao Park, Jinnan District, just across the street from the Jinghui Road Campus of Nankai School, with a floor area of 31,000 ㎡, radiating more than 80,000 mature residents and about 150,000 college teachers and students. Positioned as a "new neighborhood vitality center", it accurately matches the consumption preferences of teachers, students and surrounding community residents, and focuses on formats such as characteristic catering, casual coffee, stationery and cultural creativity, and life services. Brands including Cha Baidao, Chenguang Stationery, Cambridge English, Lewu Street Dance and Jike Fitness have been officially open for business.
Guozhan Fulin Hui is located in the west sector of National Exhibition Center in Jinnan District, adjacent to Hongnihe East Station of Metro Line 1, with a floor area of 29,000 ㎡. It is the first centralized commercial project in the west sector of National Exhibition Center, adopting BLOCK block design. In terms of formats, it focuses on urban light cultural tourism categories such as parent-child homestay, light luxury camping, cultural and creative experience, and characteristic catering, which can not only meet the business reception and leisure social needs of exhibitors, but also provide a daily destination for surrounding residents' weekend mini-vacation.
03.
Centralized Release of Stock Renewal
Dongli New Yipin Plaza
Commercial floor area: 120,000 ㎡
"Integration of old and new" of time-honored shopping malls
Dongli New Yipin Plaza, located at No. 2 Erjing Road, Dongli District, is the fastest-progressing project in this round of stock renovation, which is scheduled to reopen in September 2026 after full renovation, with a commercial floor area of 120,000 ㎡. The project was formerly a time-honored shopping mall in Dongli Economic Development Zone, which is the collective memory of many local residents.
On the one hand, this renovation comprehensively upgrades the building facade, internal circulation and public space to create a more modern visiting experience, increases parking spaces, and launches a 3-hour free parking benefit; on the other hand, it restructures the brand matrix, introduces a large number of sector-first brands and upgraded stores, strengthens the parent-child, characteristic catering and business supporting formats, and serves both surrounding community families and industrial personnel in the park. It not only retains the popular time-honored catering brands loved by citizens such as Datie Shao and Xiabu Xiabu, but also introduces trendy brands sought after by young consumers such as Bawang Chaji, Xiaomi and Huawei, taking into account nostalgia and innovation.
Zhongyuan Haiyun Plaza
Commercial floor area: 114,000 ㎡
A new starting point for Hangu's commerce
Located at No. 160 Hanhu Siwei Road, Binhai New Area, Zhongyuan Haiyun Plaza is developed by Tianjin Quanye Hualian Group, with a total floor area of 114,000 ㎡, which is expected to open within 2026. The project is reconstructed from the merger of the former Hanyou Department Store and Yishang Youyi Plaza, which is the largest and most anticipated stock commercial renewal project in Hangu area.
Positioned as a "all-customer-group life center in Hangu area", the core goal of the project is to fill the gap of high-quality commerce in Hangu and retain local consumption that has long overflowed out of the area. The renovation will comprehensively upgrade the building image and space quality, and build a full-format combination of retail, catering, parent-child and entertainment, covering consumption needs of all age groups from children's amusement to brand retail, and from characteristic catering to life services.
As an important layout of local commercial management enterprises in northern Binhai, Zhongyuan Haiyun Plaza undertakes the mission of activating the commercial vitality of Hangu old town.
04.
Two Sam's Club Stores Launched Simultaneously
Reshaping the mid-to-high end retail pattern of Tianjin
In 2026, Tianjin will add 2 new Sam's Club stores.
Hongqiao Sam's Club is the first Sam's Club store located in the central urban area across the country, and the national model store of the fourth-generation stores. The main structure has been capped, and it is expected to open and operate in September. The significance of the label "first store in the central urban area" is that Sam's Club is no longer only located in the suburbs, but is penetrating into the city core.
Dongli Sam's Club adopts the omni-channel membership model of "offline store + 20 online cloud warehouses". With a total construction area of about 25,000 square meters, it is the largest single-floor Sam's Club store in North China, and the project has entered the final stage.
With the successive opening of these projects, Tianjin's commercial ecosystem will become more three-dimensional and diversified, and the consumption needs of different regions and different customer groups will get more detailed responses. The continuous advancement of stock renovation and urban renewal will also make the commercial memory of this city continue to grow into a new look in the new era.
This article is from the WeChat official account "Winshang", author: Gong Wanling, authorized for release by 36Kr.