N Haidu all-media reporter Chen Jin Ma Junjie Text/Photo
Zhongfang Wanbao City was once the largest underground shopping mall in Fujian, located in the city center, and now it is somewhat embarrassing. The vacancy rate of shops is extremely high, with a total of 2800 shops, and more than half of the property use rights are sold to small owners. Nowadays, these small owners can't get a penny of rent, and the popularity of the entire underground shopping mall is even more like Vientiane, Baolong, and Suning, forming a picture of ice and fire. Dongbai Center, which is also located in the city center, is crowded with people and various brands have settled in.
The above two business districts are located in the core area, why are there diametrically opposed popularity? The reporter made a visit to understand.
Zhongfang Wanbao underground shopping mall
The small owners of Zhongfang Wanbao cannot get rent
Some have been cut off or mortgaged
In 2016, Mr. Zhang, a small owner, purchased a 17-square-meter shop of Zhongfang Wanbao for a total price of 740,000 yuan, with a down payment of 410,000 yuan and a loan of 330,000 yuan. According to the original contract, Mr. Zhang's annual rent should have been more than 50,000 yuan, but from the second quarter of 2020, Mr. Zhang did not get the corresponding shop rent. "The rent is paid quarterly, but due to the delay in paying it, I have lost supply in October last year."
Merchants in the underground shopping mall of Zhongfang Wanbao have withdrawn one after another, and small owners have not received rent for several months
Ms. Zheng, 58, spent 1 million yuan in 2015 to buy an 18-square-meter shop in Zhongfang Wanbao, and according to the contract, the annual rental return of her shop was 55,000 yuan, and like Mr. Zhang, since June this year, Zhongfang Wanbao has not paid the rent as agreed.
Ms. Zheng said that in order to buy this shop, she borrowed 650,000 yuan from the bank, more than 3,800 yuan a month, but now because she could not repay the loan, she had to mortgage the house in her hometown in Minqing and make a living by working two jobs a day.
The reporter learned that like Mr. Zhang and Ms. Zheng, there are more than a thousand small owners who have purchased the Zhongfang Wanbao shop. It is reported that the area of Zhongfang Wanbao underground shopping mall reached 190,000 square meters, the total number of shops is about 2800 households, of which the self-owned properties of Zhongfang Wanbao account for 40% of the total area, and the rest are all sold, of which about 1300 small owners have been owed rent for several months.
Revenue fell off a cliff
It is not possible to pay the rent
Mr. Ke, head of China Defense Lianbo Investment Co., Ltd., told reporters that because of the impact of the epidemic, in 2020, the operating income of China Defense Wanbao declined, but at that time it was still actively raising funds and paying the rent of small owners. "But what we didn't expect in the future was that because of the continuity of the impact of the epidemic, our operating income showed a cliff-like decline in the future." Mr. Ke said that at the beginning of the opening of the mall, the occupancy rate of shops reached more than 90%, and the rental income was about 100 million yuan, but after that, the popularity declined, and the shops in the original underground shopping malls also withdrew, resulting in the current inability to continue to pay the rent of small owners.
In the interview, Mr. Ke also admitted that when operating the Zhongfang Wanbao underground shopping mall, he found a number of companies and professional managers from all over the world to operate, but due to the dissatisfaction of water and soil, the turnover of Zhongfang Wanbao, which was still in the cultivation period, had a sharp decline in turnover.
Mr. Ke said that at present, they are actively docking large enterprises such as Yuexing Home and Poly Group, hoping to use their strength to enhance the operation of the mall of Zhongfang Wanbao, and ultimately increase the rental price of the shop, "Only by first improving the grade operation performance of the mall can we increase the rental price, and finally have the ability to pay the rent of small owners." Mr. Ke said.
Parking was hard to find
The mall is like a labyrinth
Located in one of the most core business districts in Fuzhou, China Defense Manpower City is supposed to have natural advantages that are difficult to replicate. It is connected to Xiangsaka Station of Metro Line 2, and is surrounded by the underground intersection of baolong and Vientiane Life City, which must pass through two shopping malls, and also has direct access to Suning Plaza and the upcoming Suning Plaza Phase 2. According to the previous industry's estimates, every entrance of China Defense Manpower City has a daily flow of tens of thousands.
At the beginning of the opening, the operator of China Defense Montbau City publicized that in order to achieve the function of transportation connection, 7 24-hour underground pedestrian passages, 52 underground entrances and exits, and 80 escalators were planned, with a construction area equivalent to the volume of one Baolong City Square and two MixC. But it is also because of this practice that many citizens complain: "Maze-like shopping malls, you can't get in and out, and parking lots are more difficult to find." ”
The underground shopping mall of China Defense Wanbao is like a labyrinth, which makes many citizens complain: "You can't get out when you go in"
The reporter learned that in July 2020, with the acceleration of the upgrading and transformation process of Fuzhou Taijiang Commercial Circle, China Defense Wanbao enabled a new navigation sign system, hoping to change the "labyrinth" situation of the mall, but the result was thunder and rain, the transformation project did not seem to see any effect, and there were still few citizens going to the mall to shop.
Only the Dongbai Center underground shopping mall has been successfully transformed
The rest of the underground business districts are gated
Not only in Zhongfang Wanbao City, in December 2006, Fuzhou Railway Station launched the first street and underground Taobao City, which can be said to be the earliest batch of underground shopping malls in Fuzhou. However, the huge flow of people at the railway station has not brought the so-called "popularity" to the "Taobao City", but many illegal merchants have forced them to buy and sell, which has deterred many people. In 2015, the south square of the railway station was renovated, and the underground Taobao City of Fuzhou Railway Station was relocated and demolished, and the scribbled end of nearly ten years of operation history.
Located at the mouth of the East Street in Gulou District, the underground business circle of Guanya Plaza is not exaggerated to describe its scene as deserted. In 2012, the Yijia electrical appliance store stationed in the underground shopping mall of Guanya Plaza was eclipsed by "closing the army", and various brand electrical appliances such as Gree and Midea, as well as large merchants such as Zhongbo Mobile Phone City and Giordano, also withdrew.
As the capital city of Fujian Province, Fuzhou's consumption strength needless to say, the rapid expansion of commercial volume is the best example, then Fuzhou citizens with such a large consumer demand really do not like to visit the underground business circle?
Located in the old shopping mall at The mouth of Dongjiekou, Dongbai Center has integrated the experience advantages of the shopping center and the leisure life scene of the block after a comprehensive renovation, creating a "super department store" format, and its seamless Dongbai Center subway business, as far as the eyes of Fuzhou people can see, always looks like a crowd, which is a benchmark.
Ms. Su, a citizen, likes to visit Dongbai very much, especially for Dongbai underground shopping malls, "There are many fashion brands there, whether it is food, play and various brands, I like it." Ms. Su said that on weekends, the Dongbai underground business district is crowded and lively.
It is reported that the upgrade of Dongbai Center, sacrificing some commercial operating area, opened up a new social scene in the super department store in the city center, and created a "latest floor" that integrates a new image, a new scene and a new experience while the scene experience is fully optimized, creating a new solution for "creating high output on the high floor". In the latest round of brand adjustment, Dongbai Center introduced nearly 20 new brands such as ROTOR STUDIO, TED BAKER, HR, JORYA, ID, INXX, ICICLE Zhihe, and Manufacturing. Coupled with the new "blood" such as CHANEL, GUERLAIN, POLA, Bubble Mart, Lego flagship store, Adidas City flagship store and other fresh "blood" that have been stationed in Dongbai Center in the past year or so, AJ store upgraded L1, and the brand power of "Super Department Store" has been continuously consolidated.
Unified operation and management of underground business districts
Create a great shopping experience
Mr. Lin, an industry insider engaged in real estate business, said that in terms of business model, most of the underground business districts in Fuzhou had adopted the model of dividing and selling bunks, which made it difficult for commercial management companies to launch large-scale marketing promotions and festival drainage activities, and the popularity was bound to drop again and again.
When developing underground commercial space, it is necessary to control the volume, "it is not that the bigger the better, and the commercial design inside the underground space should be simple and clear." Mr. Lin said that the underground space is closed and lacks a sense of direction, and if there are many passages, intersections, and entrances and exits, it is easy to become a large maze.
In addition, the unified operation and management of underground commercial stores is the most important. "Zhongfang Wanbao has sold more than half of the property use rights, and there are not enough self-sustaining properties in its hands, it is impossible to balance the interests of different owners, and it is impossible to unify operation and management." Mr. Lin said that like the Dongjiekou business district, the above-ground and underground integrated operation is carried out by Dongbai Group, and the above-ground and underground have achieved maximum complementarity and sharing in terms of format positioning, spatial connection, and consumer experience. "Of course, it is also important to meet the shopping experience of Fuzhou consumers, such as the introduction of large-scale well-known brands, popular trend stores, and let the public have a sufficient and good shopping experience."