Le mie ricette per la real estate communityMajor international brands are preparing to meet with leading Chinese commercial centre management companies when the third edition of the MAPIC China Summit opens for business on August 29 in Among the international brands attending the event are Illy Caffè, Unilever, Prêt A Manger, Guinot, Calzedonia Group, The Bagel Bar Coffee House and Lina’s Paris. All of them are seeking to develop their presence in China.
MAPIC China Summit will take place from 29 August to 1 September, opening The Annual Shanghai International Commerce Convention, the leading retail real estate event in China organised by Wanda Group, China’s largest conglomerate specialising in real estate and leisure. The MAPIC China Summit will provide a networking space and a conference programme analysing the specific features of the Chinese market and the challenges faced by retailers wishing to expand in the country.
The commercial property market in China showed steady growth in 2016 due to the speed-up in urbanisation, increasing purchasing power and a consumer focus on modernisation. According to a Savills study, 1.2 million square meters of commercial space arrived on the Chinese market in 2016, and 17 shopping mall projects are due to be launched in Shanghai alone in 2017.
“For international retailers, our partnership with Wanda Group is a genuine growth driver in China, giving them direct access to the managers of the largest shopping malls in the Chinese market. Combining conferences with networking events, MAPIC China Summit will provide an ideal setting for meeting local and international commercial property professionals,” says Nathalie Depetro, MAPIC Markets Director.
The MAPIC China Summit conference programme will open on 30 August with a speech by Wang Zhibin, Senior Vice President of Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties, the leader in commercial property in China with more than 185 shopping centres across the country. Mr. Zhibin will discuss opportunities for expansion in China.
This will be followed by a panel presenting the Chinese commercial property market to international retailers wishing to expand in the country. Frank Chan, Vice President, National Shopping Mall Director China, Carrefour; Marco Hamers, Executive Vice President, Global Brands Group Shanghai; Andrea Meoni, Head of Expansion Greater China, Calzedonia Group (Italy) and Neil Roberts, Global Business Development Director, Unilever (Netherlands), will discuss how to select strategic partners to enter the Chinese market and the need to have an omnichannel strategy to attract Chinese consumers.
Two conferences will also address the customer experience as a vital dimension of shopping centres, including the role of leisure and catering in bricks & mortar sales spaces.
The panel on “Savouring Food & Beverage experiences” will give the floor to Bernard Chew, Managing Director Asia Pacific, Illycaffè; Antoine Guillorit, Head of international Development, Lina’s Paris; Julien Perret, Founder & CEO, Bchef; Francesco Bove, Sole Administrator, Queen’s Chips; Charlotte Boisson, Head of Marketing, Borea/Territoires & Marketing, and James Assersohn, Retail Director Asia Pacific, JLL, to deliver case studies demonstrating the latest F&B trends and how they are transforming the customer experience.
Led by Thomas Mega, President of the Asia Pacific Division Board of the Themed Entertainment Association, the “leisure & shopping: shopping centre as a new life place!” panel will explain how leisure can attract a greater number of consumers in commercial centres. This session will include featured speakers Reinhart Viane, Business Development Director, KCC Entertainment Design, a theme park specialist; Sylvain Roumegas, CEO, LOB-6, a company equipping skyscrapers with a capsule that gives passengers a weightlessness experience for 10 seconds; Haitao Peng, Director & General Manager, Sichuan Mie Investment Co and Yang Chao, Partner, Mini Max International Co.
Source : Company