AEON Beijing Intl Mall Shopping Center to open in November

[ 2008-10-14 ]

Aeon announces the opening of Aeon Beijing International Mall Shopping Center in Changping District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, on November 7th (Fri.), 2008

The shopping center is located in Changping District, a district in Northern Beijing with a population of 750,000, in an area two minutes from the Bei’anhe Exit of the Badaling Highway and 35 minutes from the center of the city by car. This is an area undergoing planned population transfer from other areas and housing complexes continue to be built.

The shopping center is situated in a market area that is home to 4,500,000 people, including 2,470,000 and 1,310,000 residents in neighboring Haidian and Chaoyang Districts, respectively.

A shopping center to open in Beijing integrates AEON group’s collective efforts.

It is Beijing’s largest mall-style shopping center with eco-friendly facilities including rooftop solar panels and a rainwater utilization system.

- Covering an area of approximately 90,000 m2 with parking for 3,000 vehicles, this will be Beijing’s first mall-style shopping center, providing a new lifestyle opportunity to customers in Beijing, where motorization is increasingly taking hold.

- The shopping center boasts 104 specialty stores including 14 names that are opening for the first time in China. Aeon Mall Co., Ltd., an Aeon group company, leases the International Mall Shopping Center to specialty stores. The shopping center will include specialty stores such as Cox Co Ltd, Blue Grass Co Ltd, Talbots Japan Co Ltd, Nustep Co Ltd, Petcity Co., Ltd. Mega Sports Co., Ltd. and Laura Ashley Japan Co., Ltd., which are also Aeon group companies. Regarding additional Aeon group companies, Aeon Delight Co Ltd, Aeon Fantasy Co Ltd and Certo Corporation will begin business operations for the first time in China. Aeon will continue to marshal Aeon group’s efforts to offer a convenient and comfortable shopping environment to customers in China through the state-of-the art shopping center.

- This will be the 1st shopping center by Beijing Aeon Co., Ltd. in Northern China where the company has been advancing development. Aeon is planning to open shopping centers in Chaoyang District, Beijing and Binhai New Area, Tianjin in the future, aiming for 100 shopping centers throughout China by the end of FY2010.

- Aeon has conducted environmental conservation activities in China such as “Great Wall Tree Planting” and “Tree Planting at Lao Mountain Dam in Qingdao.” Aeon is addressing environmental matters at the shopping center by installing eco-friendly facilities such as rooftop solar panels and a rainwater utilization system and by establishing the “Eco Information Center” which offers opportunities to think and act environmentally in concert with the local community.

The goal is for Aeon Beijing International Mall Shopping Center to become a one-stop destination for customers to enjoy shopping in various ways at numerous stores open for the first time in Beijing. The shopping center will feature 104 specialty stores able to satisfy the variety in customers’ lifestyles, focusing in particular on family customers in their 30’s and 40’s who have established their lifestyles and fashion-conscious customers in their 20’s.

The motorization of Beijing society continues to accelerate. The shopping center provides the city’s largest parking lot, accommodating 3,000 vehicles and enabling customers to enjoy their shopping in a leisurely manner.

To date Aeon has opened 24 stores mainly in Southern China and Shangdong area since the launch of its first store in Hong Kong by Aeon Stores (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. in 1987. In May 2006, a Chinese branch of Aeon was established in Beijing in order to accelerate store openings in China. In October 2007, Aeon established a business alliance with SIIC Shanghai (Holdings) Co Ltd, a leading property developer in China, which has had many successes and acquired considerable expertise in large scale urban development projects. Aeon will advance urban development in China focusing on mall-style shopping centers, and continue development within the group, through its partnership with SIIC Shanghai.

Aeon plans to accelerate store openings in China with a target of 100 shopping centers mainly in Southern China, Shangdong area and Northern China by the end of 2010.

Environmental Conservation/Social Contribution Activities Programs at the Shopping Center:
- As one of the environmental conservation activities conducted together with local customers, a tree planting ceremony will be held on the premises of the shopping center in October.
- In order to enhance the eco-friendliness of the shopping center, facilities to further reduce environmental burden such as rooftop solar panels, a rainwater utilization system and high efficiency condensers are installed in many areas of the shopping center.
- The “Eco Information Center” will be established in the shopping center in order to comprehensively explain our environmental initiatives to customers and to offer opportunities for our customers to work with us in thinking constructively about the environment.

Source: www.fibre2fashion.com