What New Expectations is Wuxi YueShang Outlets Creating After Three Years of Operation?

From “Retail + Mall” to “Cultural, Commercial, Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment Integration”As traditional outlet malls actively explore the transformation from “discount zones” to “lifestyle spaces,” the innovative model of “City Outlet Mall” is emerging as a standout. This model centers on traditional outlet malls’ appeal of “brand-name discounts,” while integrating the “full-scene experience” of shopping centers. It effectively meets consumers’ dual demands for “high cost-performance” and “diverse experiences,” becoming a bright growth point in the outlet industry in recent years. Wuxi YueShang Outlets undoubtedly represents a typical example of this model.As the largest stock-space transformation project in the Yangtze River Delta region, it successfully revitalized the 400,000 square meters of idle space of the former Mingfa Plaza with its “Retail + Mall” YueShang Outlets 1.0 model. Not only did it fill the gap in large-scale commercial spaces in the area, but it also quickly became a regional consumption hotspot upon opening.Over the past three years, YueShang Outlets has not rested on its early success. It has continuously upgraded its retail formats, scenarios, and services, evolving from its original “Retail + Mall” model to a strategic transformation toward “highly integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and entertainment.” This transformation has resulted in a leap from a “regional commercial” project to a “city landmark,” and it has successfully ranked among the “Top 30 Most Popular Outlet Malls Nationwide in the First Half of 2025.”

This ongoing evolution was confirmed during the recent third-anniversary celebration: the highest single-day foot traffic exceeded 70,000 visitors, overall foot traffic increased by 20% year-over-year, and overall sales rose by 5%. Against the backdrop of a general slowdown in consumption, the growth in both sales and foot traffic validated the resilience and potential of the “YueShang Outlets 2.0” model.This article will systematically analyze the core logic behind YueShang Outlets’ continuous iteration from brand renewal, event operations, and service deepening, exploring the driving forces behind its growth from a “regional rookie” to a “city landmark.”From Regional Rookie to City Landmark: The Growth Logic.Driven by urban renewal and consumption upgrading, YueShang Outlets’ transformation and upgrade have always been aligned with Wuxi’s urban development and market demands. As an important cultural and tourism node city in the Yangtze River Delta, Wuxi has been actively promoting the collaborative development of culture, commerce, tourism, and sports in recent years. The exploration of diverse consumer scenarios, such as “commerce + sports” and “commerce + culture,” demands that commercial projects satisfy both local consumers’ quality requirements and attract the cultural and tourism consumption from external visitors.

This has clearly pointed the direction for YueShang Outlets’ project upgrade.Over the past three years, YueShang Outlets has undergone profound changes in its customer base. According to data from Winshang, the project’s customer structure has evolved from being primarily local at the start to a diverse composition of “local + cross-city + international” groups. Specifically, 38% of customers are from more than 5 kilometers away, covering all of Wuxi city. External customers account for 21.6%, mainly from nearby cities such as Suzhou, Changzhou, and Shanghai. This cross-regional and multi-dimensional customer coverage highlights that the project has completed the transition from a regional commercial newcomer to a city commercial landmark capable of radiating across the Yangtze River Delta.Faced with changes in urban development, market dynamics, and consumer demands, YueShang Outlets has focused on enhancing brand strength, innovating operational capabilities, and optimizing service offerings. It has actively explored deep integration of culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and entertainment. By matching a differentiated brand matrix with diverse consumer preferences, creating innovative experiences to meet the demand for cultural and tourism consumption upgrades, and offering refined services to address different consumer pain points, the project has not only completed a comprehensive upgrade of its commercial space but has also successfully transformed into an important platform supporting the city’s diverse functions, further solidifying its strategic position as a city-level commercial landmark.

This series of practices has given the project a unique competitive edge in the fiercely competitive market and provided a successful model for outlet transformation and upgrading.Brand Renewal: Building Landmark Appeal with a Differentiated Brand Matrix.For any mature commercial project, its ability to continuously attract consumers and lead the regional market depends on whether its product mix and brand portfolio maintain sustainable appeal and competitiveness. Since 2025, YueShang Outlets has launched an unprecedented brand adjustment, with more than 100 brands—about a quarter of the total—being restructured. This high-intensity brand renewal is rare in Wuxi’s commercial market, demonstrating the project’s strategic determination to continuously iterate with brands as its “keystone” while also reflecting its operational thinking to break the competition with differentiation strategies and drive long-term growth through content power.In this round of brand adjustment, YueShang Outlets focused on two core categories: “outdoor sports” and “emerging brands.” It introduced three types of flagship stores: “high-level first stores,” “major flagship stores,” and “new image stores.” With a logic that balances “stability and growth,” YueShang Outlets continuously solidified competitive barriers of “what others don’t have, or what others do, but we do better.”

The opening of flagship stores such as the first ANTA PARK outlet in East China, Wuxi’s first 361° flagship store, and the first Skechers Children’s Amusement Park in the country not only brought short-term topic-driven traffic and buzz but also built a stable customer base over time, further consolidating YueShang Outlets’ leadership position in innovative retail formats. At the same time, newly introduced flagship stores from brands like Xtep, QIAODAN, Bosideng, Cabin, LESS IS MORE, KAILAS, and Little Bear set the highest standards in space design, product mix, and service standards, significantly elevating the overall project tone and customer profile.Facing the fast-changing preferences of young consumers, YueShang Outlets also precisely positioned new and emerging brands like Bei Yin Le Fen, Samsonite, BOY, MLB, Champion, and Crocs, injecting a strong youthful gene into the project and enhancing its appeal to Gen Z customers.Events and Services Empower Commercial Space as a Public Platform for City Life.Relying on its “block + Mall” spatial format, YueShang Outlets has created a relaxed and leisurely strolling experience for consumers, setting itself apart from traditional enclosed malls. By making full use of its expansive outdoor space and rich landscaping, the project has designed interactive cultural and tourism facilities like a musical fountain and a Ferris wheel, successfully extending the shopping scene into the realm of “mini-vacations.”

These fixed and attractive facilities not only consistently draw traffic during daily operations but also work in harmony with high-frequency and multi-dimensional thematic events, expanding the commercial space’s possibilities from cultural, sports, and tourism perspectives.By actively engaging with city resources, YueShang Outlets has leveraged major sports events such as the Wuxi Marathon and the Jiangsu Provincial City Football League, distributing consumer vouchers worth 4 million RMB to efficiently convert sports traffic into commercial consumption. Through hosting public events like the Beer Music Festival, Food Consumption Season, and 3×3 Basketball League, YueShang Outlets has enriched the cultural and sports lives of citizens and significantly enhanced its ability to host and convert city-level event traffic, solidifying its role as a public event platform in the city.In terms of inter-industry collaboration, the project focuses on “all-age, multi-scenario” operations, updating its thematic events monthly and creating tailored experiences for families, retirees, and foreign visitors, ensuring that the project always remains “constantly fresh.” This collaboration is not limited to single event forms; it aims to match various customer groups’ life and emotional needs, breaking the boundaries between commercial space and daily life, fostering a sense of belonging for every visitor, and strengthening emotional connections with the project.Service Excellence: Building a Long-Term Competitive Advantage with Human-Centered Details.

YueShang Outlets places great emphasis on continuous service improvement, demonstrating its long-term development philosophy through a series of meticulous service optimization initiatives. The project understands that an exceptional service experience is key to enhancing customer loyalty and retention.For example, the project introduced a “6-hour free parking for members” policy, perfectly covering the entire consumer experience from shopping to dining and entertainment, effectively addressing the pain point of “not wanting to stay too long” and significantly improving customer satisfaction and stay intentions. For family visitors, the project has fully upgraded its maternity and baby rooms, ensuring comfort for both parents and infants, making family outings easier and more enjoyable.Moreover, YueShang Outlets has strengthened its staff’s foreign language skills and cross-cultural communication through systematic and multilingual training, providing comprehensive service support to international customers. This has made the project one of the top malls in Wuxi for outbound tax refund business, earning recognition both from the government and the market for its international service standards.These seemingly small service enhancements reflect the project’s deep insights into consumer needs and proactive responses. Each service detail improvement subtly changes the shopping experience, making customers feel respected and understood. This customer-centric service philosophy not only enhances customer stickiness but also builds a strong soft power advantage for the project, providing sustainable development momentum in fierce commercial competition.