Futian, as the central district and traditional consumption hub of Shenzhen, is accelerating its transformation into a world-class consumer destination.

The district has set its sights on the development of iconic commercial areas to meet its goal of achieving a total social consumption of more than 260 billion yuan (US$35.67 billion) in Futian by 2025.

This is part of Futian’s initiative to preliminarily establish a core area of an international consumer center with strong international influence in the district.

At the beginning of this year, "building a world-class consumer destination" was deemed as one of the top priorities the district government is eager to carry out in 2023.

According to incomplete official statistics, Futian has 16 commercial complexes with an area of over 50,000 square meters, accounting for 21% of the city's total.

The district has six five-star hotels, representing one-fourth of the city's total and forming the most concentrated group of star-rated hotels in Shenzhen.

Based on the advantages in quantity, Futian  has formulated an overall layout of the "1+5" commercial district system, taking into account the urban spatial planning, resource endowments and industrial foundation of the district.

Among them, "1" refers to the creation of a world-class commercial district in the central area of Futian, focusing on the construction of three benchmark core commercial districts: "Futian CBD Commercial District," "Shenzhen Bay International Top-level Commercial District" and "Shenzhen Upper Hills Ecological Commercial District."

These districts are centered around the vitality belt of the Shennan Avenue and connected by a "one-axis, three-core" commercial district spatial layout, aiming to create a new pattern of global commercial space development.

In order to address insufficient supply capacity for high-end consumption and inadequate cultivation of local brands, Futian has released several measures to support the development of commercial businesses.

Policies such as "Supporting the Introduction of International Consumer Brands" and "Supporting the Introduction of First Stores" have been implemented to achieve breakthroughs in international high-end consumer brands.

The total number of newly introduced first stores has exceeded 500, with an average annual growth rate of over 100%. The explosive growth of first stores in Futian led the way in Shenzhen for the first half of 2023, with the opening of 121 new first stores, accounting for approximately one-third of the city's total, making Futian the undisputed "first store district."

Major international brands such as Galeries Lafayette's first store in South China, VERA WANG's first store in South China, Armani global flagship store, and Estee Lauder's national flagship store have settled in Futian and quickly enhanced the consumer potential of Futian's commercial areas.

Futian recently launched "Yeah, Enjoy Futian in the Bay Area" series of activities to promote nighttime economy.

The activities will feature three major theme events: Craft Beer Festival, Tea Lifestyle Festival, and Night Carnival, as well as multiple promotional activities over a three-month period. These activities will comprehensively shape the diverse nightlife of Futian, combining commercial district economy, sporting events, unique streets, exhibitions and performances, bars and entertainment.

The influence of Futian's consumer activities continues to grow, driving a sustained improvement in consumer promotion effects. In the first half of 2023, consumers made 102 million visits to Futian’s major commercial complexes, a year-on-year increase of 43.61%. Sales revenue reached 10.76 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.29%.