Has the "painful transition period" of Tianjin's commercial sector come to an end?

How much change can five years bring to the commerce of a city? 

It has been five years since the State Council approved in July 2021 that Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Tianjin take the lead in fostering and building international consumption center cities. As time goes by, what transformations have taken place in Tianjin's commercial landscape? 

From the perspective of urban commerce, under the guidance of a relatively complete policy system, Tianjin has achieved systematic results in the past five years in terms of commercial carrier supply, business district energy level improvement, consumption space reconstruction, and brand resource agglomeration, but its structural contradictions still require continuous in-depth adjustment. 

01.

Improve the policy framework,

Build a "Grand Consumption" pattern

Starting from the macroeconomic performance, Tianjin's GDP has increased from about 1.57 trillion yuan in 2021 to 1.85 trillion yuan in 2025, showing a steady year-on-year rise. On this basis, the total retail sales of consumer goods in Tianjin in the past five years has hovered around 400 billion yuan as a whole. The GDP growth rate is higher than the growth rate of total retail sales of consumer goods, indicating that the urban consumption potential remains to be further tapped. 

Meanwhile, in the first half of 2026, the total retail sales of consumer goods in the city increased by 2.1% year on year, continuing to maintain steady growth. Combined with the data of segmented categories, it reflects that Tianjin is in a critical period of consumption transformation, the consumption structure is continuously optimized, and consumer confidence is expected to continue to recover. 

In fact, Tianjin realized from the very beginning that fostering and building an international consumption center city is a long-term and complex task. Therefore, it has formed a high-density full-chain support system from the core top-level policies to a large number of specific implementation plans. 

The "policy toolbox" covering all dimensions clarifies the complete construction gradient from landmark business districts to community commerce in terms of spatial planning, provides policy window and financial support for stock commercial renovation starting from urban renewal, promotes the transformation of commercial complexes to experience-oriented and theme-oriented ones through business format innovation initiatives such as first-store economy, night economy, and new performance spaces, improves the operation flexibility of shopping centers and commercial blocks through management deregulation measures such as allowing outdoor stalls and extended business hours, and expands the radiating customer group of Tianjin commercial projects by virtue of the regional coordination of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei consumption linkage. 

The "15th Five-Year Plan for Business Development of Tianjin" released in June this year summarizes the business and economic development achievements during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), especially the accelerated construction of the "Grand Consumption" pattern, and the construction of international consumption center cities has achieved positive results: 

"The total retail sales of consumer goods in 2025 increased by 10.5% over the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, the annual average turnover of accommodation and catering enterprises above designated size increased by 6.7%, and the commodity sales of the wholesale and retail industries successively crossed the thresholds of 4 trillion yuan and 5 trillion yuan. Consumption landmarks have been upgraded and renewed, Jin Street has won the title of 'National Demonstration Pedestrian Street', landmark business districts such as Cultural Center, Old Town - Ancient Culture Street, and Italian Style Area have become integration clusters of commerce, tourism and culture, a number of commercial complexes such as Peace Impression City, Longfor Meijiang Paradise Walk, and Shanshan Outlets have been put into operation, revitalizing nearly 2.54 million square meters of idle commercial facilities..." 

02.

Commercial capacity expanded by nearly 3.5 million square meters,

Remarkable achievements made in stock revitalization

On the whole, Tianjin has achieved a significant increment of commercial area and stock renewal in five years, forming a supply pattern of "dual-wheel drive of new addition and renovation". 

According to incomplete statistics from Winshang Data, by the end of 2025, Tianjin had 138 commercial stocks (the sum of opened shopping centers, independent department stores and outlets), ranking 13th in China; the commercial stock area was 11.0957 million ㎡ (including the area of opened shopping centers, independent department stores and outlets), ranking 12th in China. 

From 2021 to the first half of 2026, Tianjin's commercial increment is nearly 3.5 million square meters, with 46 newly opened projects, which has made a significant contribution to the growth of the city's commercial quantity and area. 

From the perspective of time dimension, 2021 was the peak of new commercial supply in Tianjin, with a total of more than 1.182 million square meters of new commercial space added throughout the year, followed by 769,800 square meters of new supply in 2023. On the whole, Tianjin's commercial market has gradually shifted from being increment-dominated to being led by "in-depth stock cultivation". From the volume distribution perspective, small and medium-sized projects with a volume of 30,000 to 100,000 square meters account for 52%, becoming the mainstream of the market; large projects with a volume of more than 100,000 square meters account for 28%.

From the perspective of project types, nearly 80% of the 46 newly opened projects are shopping centers, and more than 30% are industrial heritage renovation and stock commercial revitalization projects, such as Jinmao Exchange, Tian Tuo · Lane to 1956, TEDA Jinyi · PARK, Yileng Tianyin Art Warehouse, and Weaving Factory Block, which have all transformed from industrial heritages into commercial landmarks; projects such as Peace Impression City, Geely Building, Peace Wuyue Plaza, and Haiguang MALL have regained their vitality after upgrading old business formats. The unique urban renewal path is also one of the distinct features that differentiate Tianjin from other consumption center cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Starting from the development and changes of urban business districts, Jin Street Business District leads with 6 new projects, followed by Liuweilu Business District and Eco-City Business District with 4 new projects each, Old Town - Ancient Culture Street Business District and Dameijiang Business District both have 3 new projects, and South Station Business District, Zhongbei Business District and TEDA MSD-Yuxiang Business District each have 2 new projects. The locations of new commercial outlets not only cover mature municipal business districts and mature regional business districts, but also include emerging regional business districts and areas that have not formed obvious business districts, which to a certain extent fills the supply gap in Tianjin's urban commerce.

Among them, the Jin Street Business District is still the most stable "ballast" of Tianjin's commerce, with leading projects such as Tianhe City, Peace Joy City, Peace Impression City, and Henglong Plaza, as well as key projects under renovation and about to open such as Quanyechang and Jinwan New Territories NEWBAY; the Dameijiang Business District is a typical example of drastic changes, which welcomed Xiqing Wanda Plaza, Meijiang Uniwalk, and Longfor Meijiang Paradise Walk in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively, and Meijiang Impression City took over Meijiang Aeon Mall in 2025. The entry of new players, the exit of old players, and the expansion of original players have completely reshaped the landscape of Dameijiang Business District. 

03.

From consumption of "goods" to "services"

The evolution logic of key shopping centers is prominent

When we focus on the specific changes that have taken place in Tianjin's commerce in the past five years, key shopping centers are the best entry point. 

Change of scenario space:

From "goods display space" to "lifestyle container"

The spatial competition of shopping centers has shifted from "maximizing sales per square meter" to "maximizing stay duration", which requires replacing the shelf logic with spatial narrative. Optimizing vertical space with flying escalators, thematizing indoor blocks, and making full use of outdoor spaces are all specific manifestations of logical transformation. 

For example, the "Fuguang Cloud Ladder" of Longfor Tianjin Meijiang Paradise Walk uses 4K ultra-high-definition display screens on both sides to create the city's first new media digital interactive scene; the "Goose Riding Commune" of Tianjin Joy City is one of the pioneers of indoor blocks in Chinese shopping centers, which was fully renewed to "Goose Riding Planet" in September 2024; Tianjin Pen Shui You City adopts the strategy of "space segmentation + complementary content", with Block A focusing on "fashion trend + leisure social + exquisite life", and Block B strengthening "novel experience and family entertainment" — the thematic upgrading and iteration of indoor space shows that Tianjin shopping centers have entered the stage of "content curation" from "filling through investment attraction".

In recent years, Tianjin Peace Joy City has continued to create outdoor sculpture city check-in landmarks at the intersection of Nanjing Road, from 1.0 Mecha Panda, 2.0 Mecha Wukong, 3.0 Cyber Blue Lion, to the "Cyber Lucky Elephant" in the Spring Festival of 2025, strengthening its cool positioning; Longfor Tianjin Meijiang Paradise Walk created the "Snow Dancing Ice Realm" theme scene in winter, introducing artificial snowfall system, multimedia lighting installations and winter ice houses, turning the outdoor square into a "city-wide eye-catching check-in spot" — the IP-based and seasonal operation of outdoor squares breaks the conventional space utilization mode and enhances the project's influence.

Thematized space design and accelerated operation efficiency improvement have turned shopping centers from places selling goods to places creating content, with seasonal limited editions, IP co-branding, and city-level events becoming standard configurations. 

Change of content:

Structural migration from "goods consumption" to "service consumption"

As goods consumption becomes lightweight, service experience has become the new priority: the proportion of retail area continues to shrink, and experience, catering, culture, and lifestyle business formats have become the new main force of area. 

For example, Tianjin Pen Shui You City clearly put forward the renewal path of "de-fast fashion - brand upgrading - introducing traffic brands loved by young people - creating social leisure space". On the basis of systematic space re-planning, it weakens traditional retail and strengthens experience and services; Tianjin MixC introduced many outdoor sports brands in the first half of 2025, realizing the dual-wheel drive of "luxury + lifestyle" — standardized retail is receding, and more experiences that cannot be replaced online are entering the market.

During the winter upgrade of Tianjin Jinnan Wuyue Plaza in 2025, the operating area of catering on the 3rd floor was expanded by 30%, many new characteristic stores and first stores in Jinnan District were added, and interactive activities such as "Warm Winter Hot Pot Festival" were launched; the 3rd floor of the water ring of SM Tianjin Binhai City Plaza created a 12,000 ㎡ "FOODIE TIME Food Zone", creating a new integration paradigm of "catering + culture + leisure" with the style of "Green South Ocean" — the rising proportion of catering and its increasingly heavy social attributes have become the new content engine.

The Goose Riding Planet of Tianjin Joy City introduced Tianjing Real Crosstalk Teahouse and created the first Road Shaved Ice Festival, Tianjin Pen Shui You City introduced Mingliu Crosstalk Teahouse, Tianjin Tianhe City has been consolidating its market positioning as "Jinmen Living Room" for nine years since its entry into Tianjin, and more shopping centers embrace local IPs such as crosstalk, Mahua FunAge, and shaved ice — building irreplaceable differentiated barriers with local culture.

04.

Vibrant first-launch economy,

Significant agglomeration in core business districts

According to official data, in the five years since Tianjin became one of the first batch of international consumption center cities in China, it has cumulatively introduced nearly 2,000 domestic and foreign brand first stores, flagship stores, and concept stores, and held more than 1,000 first-launch, first-exhibition, and first-show activities, initially forming a market atmosphere of "weekly first shows and monthly first launches". 

Taking first store introduction as an example, Tianjin's first store economy has indeed achieved remarkable "acceleration". Based on the first store monitoring data of Winshang Data from 2021 to 2025, Tianjin cumulatively introduced 861 first stores in five years. After a short correction in 2022, the first store economy ushered in explosive growth from 2023 to 2025. Driven by consumption promotion policies and the upgrading of first-la