In Shanghai, the Jiading district's consumer market continued to gain momentum in the first half of 2025, driven by diverse events — ranging from the F1 Chinese Grand Prix to the Jiading Coffee Culture Festival.
Official data showed that total retail sales of consumer goods reached 86 billion yuan ($11.88 billion) from January to June, up 4.8 percent year-on-year, with June alone surging 16.7 percent year-on-year.
The district has deliberately cultivated "culture-tourism-commerce-sports-exhibition" scenes through events such as the Jiading Shopping Festival and the Shanghai Summer International Consumption Season, tapping into its consumer potential.
The fourth Jiading Coffee Culture Festival attracted over 190 brands, drawing 120,000 visitors in three days, boosting the average sales of exhibitors by over 200 percent.
Other initiatives included the Xiaodeyingman Shopping Festival featuring Yangtze River Delta farm products and the Frozen Summer Festival (national debut) — co-hosted by Shanghai Nanxiang Incity MEGA and Disney China, offering immersive Nordic winter experiences inside a shopping complex.
The "ticket stub economy" extended spending from concerts and sports events into lodging, dining and tourism. During the F1 Chinese Grand Prix and Shanghai Auto Culture Festival in March, over 220,000 attended races, spurring about 6 billion yuan in tourism consumption.
Spectators cheer on a race during the Shanghai International Circuit. [Photo/WeChat ID: sh-jiading]
Online sales also thrived, with six major e-commerce firms contributing 67 percent of district retail sales, up 15.6 percent year-on-year.
JD.com posted a 40 percent June sales growth, an expanded on-site retail presence and it launched a JDs Health "Instant-Delivery Pharmacy" in Jiading, reinforcing the district's diversified consumer ecosystem.