Beijing's commercial sector is set for a major boom this September, with six new shopping malls opening in quick succession.

The commercial landscape of Beijing in 2026 did not get off to an easy start.

Let's first look at a set of figures from the National Bureau of Statistics. In the first half of the year, the total market consumption in Beijing increased by 1.7% year on year, and service consumption rose by 4.5%. In the total retail sales of consumer goods, commodity retail reached 5954.7 billion yuan, down 2.4%, while catering revenue hit 633.1 billion yuan, a slight increase of 0.4%. While commodity retail is under pressure, experience-oriented, service-oriented and community-focused consumption is growing against the trend.

The rhythm of the commercial supply side also confirms this point. According to Winshang Big Data, only three projects, namely Yuanchuang Metropolis, Xinhua Department Store CCmall, and Xichenli, entered the market in the first half of the year, with a total new commercial area of 112,000 square meters. Both the number and scale of new projects maintained an unprecedentedly restrained pace.

A more frequent keyword than new openings is "store closure". Blue Island Mansion, a time-honored department store in Beijing that has been in operation for 33 years, fully closed on June 1 to start upgrading and renovation. Galeries Lafayette Xidan closed at the end of May, ending its 13 years of operation in Beijing. The Shangpin+ Shunyi store and Caoxiao store also withdrew from the market one after another.

Entering September, Beijing's commercial supply has ushered in its first peak of release. Six projects have opened or been renovated one after another. From the old streets in the core area to the west Beijing transport hub, from the art block in the sub-center to the ACG field in Zhongguancun, based on the publicly announced scale, the total new commercial area in this single month has exceeded the sum of the first half of the year.

01.

Block First: Return Commerce to the Streets

The block commerce in Beijing at the end of September will see two noteworthy samples.

Source: Dongcheng Branch of Beijing Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission, Survey and Design Division

The renovation logic of West Xinglong Street is quite special. 16 restored courtyards are led by 7 designers including Zhu Xiaodi, with a total floor area of about 14,600 square meters. More importantly, its operation is placed in the front end of the whole process. Different from the traditional project path of "completing construction first then attracting investment", West Xinglong Street introduced the operation team at the design stage to plan the business positioning in advance, covering multiple formats such as fragrance, homeware, and specialty coffee, including Sha City Memory X Silversmith Xinglong Beijing First Store, Yufu Manpu North China First Store, Yujian North China First Store, onlaonla Sit & Create Beijing First Store, CHANGPHEL Shanfu Beijing First Store, JM Cafe X Aoyama Shuhei, ICICLE & Carven PARIS Museum, CIGALONG. It is expected to officially open at the end of September.

On September 25, Songzhuang Shoukai LONG Street offers another solution, where 26 creator-led brands gather to form a "creator valley". The project has a total floor area of about 120,000 square meters, including 80,000 square meters of commercial space, 15,000 square meters of industrial space and 6,000 square meters of art hotel, positioning itself as a Beijing micro-vacation lifestyle aesthetic destination featuring "art + commerce + micro-vacation".

Hundreds of brands have confirmed their settlement, including 28 first stores in Beijing, covering brands such as Ningli Art Hotel, Golden Bear International Cinema, Manyueji Bookstore, Yutianjia, Jige E-sports, Yuanwang Park, Langjie Gravity Field; 17 first stores in Tongzhou, including Xingfu Rongyao Life Supermarket, Jiami Comedy, Lanbai Store, Xinguwu, etc.

02.

Hub Commerce: Transport Facilities Upgraded into Lifestyle Nodes

Poly Time Place is Poly Commercial Hotel's first "Time Series" commercial project in Beijing. Relying on the TOD location of Future Science City Station of Metro Line 17 and the waterfront ecological resources of Wenyu River, it builds the first park-style commercial complex in northern Beijing.

It will officially open on September 26. The project focuses on three core positioning: AI smart commerce, new retail life, and multi-sports venue, introducing sports flagship brands such as Zhongti Yifang, Paiwei Fitness, COG Rock Climbing, Muyue Skateboarding, Steam Fight Club; technology innovation brands such as Taozhu Xinzaoju, Chaochao AI Life Experience Hall, Dr. Otu, Galaxy General Robot; as well as a new retail and catering matrix including Freshippo, China Film International Cinema, Lianxiangju, Siyue Puffer, Chunzhou Japanese Cuisine, Chuanqi Boiled Fish, Fangzhuanchang No.69 Fried Sauce Noodles, Big Pizza Buffet.

Figure: Beijing Poly Time Place Source: Official Xiaohongshu Account

The highlight of "Wanjin Hui" at the Pingguoyuan Transport Hub lies in the in-depth "station-city integration". This first TOD benchmark project in western Beijing seamlessly connects three rail transit lines: Metro Line 1, Line 6 and Line S1, with a total commercial floor area of 51,000 square meters. Positioned as a "small but exquisite" boutique commercial complex, it plans urban outlets, children's theme parks, characteristic catering and life boutique supporting facilities, and introduces the first Beijing store of ChowKelly etc.

03.

Pan-ACG and Community Commerce: Tracks That Deserve Sufficient Attention

The 5°LAB Central Plaza, which is set to open on September 28, follows another differentiated path: the vertical pan-ACG track. The project focuses on Gen Z's interest-based consumption, introducing multiple first stores and flagship stores, including:

ACG peripheral brands such as the first Haidian store of Toy Planet, the first Haidian store of Keka Collection, the first Haidian store of Yancuishe GOODS, the first Haidian store of Lingxi Man Club, MEGAGANK etc.; model and trendy toy brands such as the first Haidian store of JOYTOY, the first Haidian store of Havelyn Trendy Toy Shop etc.; idol fandom brands such as the Beijing flagship store of Yi Zhi Yu etc.; IP and pet themed catering brands such as the first Haidian store of Cat Paw Cafe, the first Beijing store of ICE Dog Step etc.; interest experience and entertainment brands such as Hunter Board Game, the first Haidian store of Academy Escape, Douyuan Dimension, RC Drift Model Club, Panda E-sports etc.; three-subculture brands such as FairyDream Lolita etc.; as well as catering brands such as the first Beijing store of Viper Noodle House, the first Beijing store of Xiaojiang Japanese Mountain Cuisine etc.

The proportion of flagship stores and regional first stores is relatively prominent among similar projects. It is reported that more heavyweight brand stores will be unveiled soon.

Figure: 5°LAB Central Plaza Source: Official Xiaohongshu Account

At the beginning of September, Shunyi Rongxi Hui opened earlier. With 24,600 square meters of space and more than 60 brands, the B1 to 4F floors are set with different themes, supported by two anchor stores: Poly Wanhe Cinema and Xingfugou Supermarket.

Short-term fluctuations in retail sales data are not worth excessive anxiety. What really determines the future is whether commercial entities can find their own target consumers in the context of consumption differentiation. The next round of competition lies in who understands their consumers better and who can be irreplaceable in the segmented tracks.

This article is from the WeChat Official Account "Winshang", author: Gong Wanling, published with authorization from 36Kr.