Page 54 - May2021

Top-Tier Retail

The past year has brought many unique challenges and obstacles to the retail world, but
one thing has not changed and that is that some locations remain the best of the best, the

absolute premium places in the world that are the most revered across the globe and a
must visit for any industry expert. In this article, RLI takes a closer look at a selection of

these cities and gives an overview of what makes them such exceptional destinations.

Barcelona
Arguably the crowning jewel in Spain’s city crown thanks to its wonderful beach and
mountain location, beautiful, artistic architecture, fascinating cultural history, mouth-
watering Catalan gastronomic scene, high levels of education and employment and
overall fantastic quality of life. Barcelona’s Mediterranean city model helps develop
sustainable mobility and the city ranks highly in prestigious indexes for forward-thinking
initiatives as well as quality of life. Key factors such as public space, security and public
transport have been part of more recent developments. An incredibly accessible and
globally well-connected city, Barcelona’s airport, with the highest growth rate in Europe,
also ranks as the seventh busiest airport in Europe, with 32 intercontinental destinations.
Barcelona’s port is the main port in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, and the fourth
most important port in the world for cruise ship arrivals and departures. With everything
from designer boutiques to some of the best high-street shopping in Europe, Barcelona
is every fashion lover’s dream come true. Key retail streets and areas include Portal
de L’Angel, Passeig de Gràcia, Pelai, Les Rambles, Avinguda Diagonal, Portaferrissa and
Rambla Catalunya, whilst new brands to the city include Desigual, Bijou Brigitte, Swatch,
Parfois and Bershka.
Beijing
This is a global megacity and one of the world’s leading centres for
culture, diplomacy and politics, business and economics, education, language
and science and technology. While no new projects were launched in Q1, it
still leaves the total shopping mall stock at 10,084 million square metres.
Consumption in Beijing’s retail market is recovering rapidly as the pandemic
remains effectively contained. Meanwhile, shopping centres are actively adjusting
their brand selections to boost local consumption. With supporting policies and
guidelines to encourage consumption, footfall increased dramatically during Q1,
providing a solid foundation for further growth in the rest of 2021. Due in
part to the policy of “One Policy for One Retail Store”, traditional shopping
malls are undergoing a revitalisation in their business. Additionally, boosted by
“first-store” policies, more well-known brands are expected to enter Beijing’s
retail market for the opportunity to enhance their brand influence. Now that
the threat of the pandemic has effectively subsided, Beijing’s retail market is
expected to continue its upward trend. Key retail streets & areas include Xidan,
the Beijing Central Business District (CBD), Wangfujing, Yansha, Zhongguancun,
Cui Wei, Xuanwu-Chongwen, Ya Ao and Sanlitun, whilst key new entrants to
the city include Victoria’s Secret, Pandora, Adidas Originals, Canada Goose, Zara,
Uniqlo, Massimo Dutti and LEGO.

54 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL MAY 2021