Nanjing Road E. businesses get spruced up with expansion

Expansion work on the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall will be completed in May, followed by a new round of renovations to businesses along the road to make it among the world's top walking streets.

Nanjing Road E., originally built in 1851, as one of the city’s first modern roads, is being extended eastward to Sichuan Road M. from its current end at Henan Road M. It will be extended to the Bund to accommodate a growing number of shoppers.

The street currently stretches 1,033 meters between Xizang and Henan roads. It received 200 million visitors in 2019, Yang Dongsheng, deputy director of Huangpu, told the district's legislators ahead of the annual Shanghai People's Congress, scheduled between January 15 and 20.

Second-phase renovations will be launched this year on the Bund Center project. It will be renovated from a historic arcade formerly known as Edward Ezra Arcade at the Nanjing and Jiujiang crossroads near the Bund.

Key businesses along the road will also be renovated. These include the historic Nanjing Building at 257 Nanjing Road E., which was home to a silk emporium, Laou Kai Fook & Co Ltd, in the 1930s. The building will host Chinese tech giant Huawei's global flagship store.

The century-old Shanghai Sincere Department Store, one of four major Chinese department stores on Nanjing Road along with Wing On, Sun Sun and The Sun will reopen by the end of 2020 as a dining, recreation and entertainment complex.

The iconic Century Plaza in the middle of the road will be renovated too.

The Shanghai New World Department Store has reopened after a major facelift. Its sales volume has increased by half after renovations, said Yang.

Last year, 190 brands opened their first stores on the road, accounting for one-fourth of the city's total new store openings, he added. China's time-honored brands will also gain support to improve their performances on the road.

Huangpu also plans to showcase more art performances to shoppers on the road. Indoor stages have been opened at the No. 1 Shopping Center, Shimao International Plaza and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai.