Developers make space for China mall wars

Welcome aboard a new mainland shopping experience.

Global Harbor Mall, a 480,000 square metre megamall complex resembling a giant aircraft, is the future of shopping malls on the mainland - giant, upscale and themed.

This largest mixed-use development in Shanghai has a European theme featuring a hotel, office buildings, an ice rink, spa clubs and children's playground.

Mainland shoppers will soon be spoilt for choice as developers, including from Hong Kong, rush to set up malls like Global Harbor. And the rush is happening not just in cities such as Shanghai but in second- and third-tier cities as well, with "themed" shopping experience being the new focus.

The mainland is by far the most active development market in shopping, accounting for half of the 32 million square metres of shopping centres under construction around the world, according to CBRE Group.

Second- and third-tier cities are leading the charge. Tianjin and Shenyang are adding two million square metres of shopping floor space, more than 100 shopping centres totalling 100,000 square metres are coming up in Chengdu while 574,000 square metres of new space has recently opened in Wuhan.