World comes to Pudong for shopping festival

Products from all over the world, from Syria’s handicrafts to Thailand’s fruits, will be available during a shopping festival in Pudong that will offer more than 120 promotional activities.

The spending spree will kick off on May 1 with the launch of three themed activities.

Alibaba-backed online retailer Hema Fresh will hold a digital life festival and release coupons worth a total of 1.2 billion yuan (US$186 million). It will hold a five-day market at the foot of the Oriental Pearl Tower, displaying innovative products from time-honored brands.

At Super Brand Mall across the street there will be a festival offering the Shanghai and global debuts of new products. A highlight will be a five-day pop-up market with food from Thailand.

An outdoor market will open along the Sunland Lake in the Waigaoqiao bonded area. From May 1 to 5, products displayed at the China International Import Expo will be on offer.

Later, a variety of food and cultural activities will be held, such as festivals of wine, coffee and music incorporating traditional Chinese culture. People wearing hanfu, or traditional Chinese clothing, will parade down the area.

During the shopping festival, sites along the Huangpu River will be illuminated to light up the nightlife economy.

Pudong’s January-March data shows that the gross merchandise sales were up 44.9 percent from a year earlier to 1.25 trillion yuan. Total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 90 billion yuan, with a year-on-year increase of 56.1 percent. Over the period, newly opened commercial zones have occupied more than 100,000 square meters, according to the Pudong Commerce Commission.