American strip malls are coming to Beijing, as urban sprawl expands to outer suburbs

On Saturday afternoons the car park outside the shopping mall is packed with vehicles. Shoppers jostle with each other in outlet stores selling brands such as Hugo Boss, Gap and Nike. Nearby, parents supervise toddlers playing on slides among tropical plants in a children’s playground.

This typical suburban scene could be anywhere in middle America, but it is now an increasingly common sight in China’s biggest cities like Beijing and Shanghai. As these megacities get bigger and bigger, shopping centres are moving even further away from the downtown.

An example is the above-mentioned one developed by state-owned Beijing Capital Group, featuring 110,000 sq m of US-style factory outlets offering big discounts from major brands. Located 37 kilometres from Tiananmen Square and off the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway, Beijing Capital Outlets attracts not only local Fangshan residents but also those in western Beijing and neighbouring Hebei province.

“When the outlets opened four years ago Fangshan locals made up 70 per cent of the visitors. Now they just make up 30 per cent,” said Yang Xinwei, marketing head of the outlets. He said the number of shoppers is particularly heavy on Saturday and Sunday, which outnumber the weekdays combined.

Private cars have become the preferred mode of transport for China’s middle class families that look forward to driving and shopping outings on weekends, just as Americans have been doing for decades. And this means mall operators can build their centres further away from the city and public transport links.