Towering Gucci advertisements that guard the entrance to Guangzhou K11 offer the first clue to how the “art mall” that opened in the Chinese southern hub over four years ago is being upgraded.
Much anticipation surrounds the mall in Guangzhou’s downtown Zhujiang New Town area, a tourist hot spot close to the famous Canton Tower overlooking the Pearl River.
According to images taken at the mall shared on Xiaohongshu, the Chinese social commerce platform, luxury names such as Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Chanel Shoes, Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana, Roger Vivier, Christian Louboutin, among other first-tier luxury and fashion labels, are listed as potential entrants on the first floor of the mall.
The second floor will include entry-level luxury brands such as G Givenchy, the multibrand retailer I.T, and designer labels such as Yohji Yamamoto, as seen in images of hoardings wrapping the new stores shared on Xiaohongshu.
A K11 spokesperson declined to comment on the upgraded tenant mix or the opening date, citing sensitivity around the issue.
With much still under wraps, the K11 is already being lauded by online commentators as Guangzhou’s second-largest luxury shopping mall after Taikoo Li Guangzhou, which has been one of the busiest luxury retail malls in Guangzhou for the last 12 years.
Before the Guangzhou K11 upgrade, the first floor of the mall space was home to mainly local retailers, including The Fashion Door, a local multibrand fashion retailer, and the Chinese designer brand Yes by Yesir.
According to K11 parent company New World Development’s latest 2023 annual report, despite the partial closure of public areas for brand upgrading, four large-scale art exhibitions still managed to attract 100 million viewers to the retailer.
K11’s ongoing brand mix upgrade indicates the retailer’s confidence in the future of Guangzhou, the fourth-largest city in China, and the Guangdong — Hong Kong — Macau Great Bay Area.
Apart from the revamped Guangzhou K11, K11’s first Shenzhen project, the $1.4 billion Shenzhen Ecoast project, also has plans to open this year.
The mastermind behind K11 is Adrian Cheng. As chief executive officer of New World Development and founder of K11 Group, Cheng has pioneered the concept of “cultural retail” in Asia, incorporating art, craft and fashion exhibitions into many of his developments.
