Nearly fully leased, the CityOn.Xi’an shopping centre drew a crowd for its grand opening yesterday in China’s northwest province of Shaanxi.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony featured representatives of the joint development, Taubman Centers chairman/president/CEO Robert Taubman, and Wangfujing Group former chairwoman Bing Liu.
Anchored by the Wangfujing Department Store, the centre is about 95 per cent leased with about 80 per cent occupancy.
Taubman said the opening represented the first of three Asia shopping centres for the company making a debut this year.
Retailers in the new centre include Bershka, BJIL Moda, Candies, Coach, Gap, H&M, Home, La Babite, La Chapelle US, Marc Ecko, Massimo Dutti, Muji,  Oysho, Stradivarius, Vero Moda and Zara, as well as national brands I Do and UR.
Forever 21 and Monki are also in the centre, with their first stores for north-west China, along with specialty apparel brands INXX and Me & City. Westlink has also introduced its largest store for China.
For children, the line-up includes Balabala, DM Kidsworld, Gymboree and Toys ’R’ Us, while KidsMoment has its launch store.
Local, regional and international cuisine is offered through seated restaurants and quick-service formats. The outlets include Cousin Cafe, Holiland, Ma La Kuai Le Ying, Ma Wei Yin Xiang, Musang King, Pacific Coffee, Pang Ge Lia, Rong Li Ji, Skyland Food Court, Starbucks, Tan Yu, Xihe and Xu Ji Seafood. There were also launch stores for food brands Open Life, Open Oven and Quan Zi.
Entertainment venues include Cartoony World, Nobleman Training Club and Oscar International Cinema.
In the heart of the Weiyang district in Xi’an’s new CBD and administrative centre, CityOn.Xi’an is a seven-level shopping centre covering nearly 1 million sqft (92,900 sqm). It has 2200 parking spaces and direct links to two Metro lines and access to the Airport Expressway and High-Speed Railway Station.
Home to the Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an is an important cultural destination with more than 8.5 million residents and more than 100 million visitors a year.
Taubman Asia is a subsidiary of US mall company Taubman Centers, and is its platform for expansion into China and South Korea.
Founded in 1955 in Beijing, the Wangfujing Group is committed to transforming its traditional department store business into a modern retail group. Its sales network spans seven major economic zones in China, with 46 large-scale retail stores in 28 cities.