Shanghai is set to further strengthen its position as a leader in China’s debut economy, as a range of brands prepare to launch first stores, stage inaugural exhibitions, and host opening shows in the city in the coming days.
Among those bringing debut stores and events to Shanghai are both domestic and international names, including French luxury fashion house Maison Margiela, Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer, and Chinese brands Unitree Robotics and Chando Group.
According to experts, this highlights Shanghai’s continued success in drawing new brands and establishing itself as a global consumption hub through the development of its debut economy.
“Unitree Robotics is going to unveil its brick-and-mortar experience store situated along Shanghai's West Nanjing Road in late May," Li Binjie, senior vice-president of Unitree Robotics, said during the 2026 National Premium Products Debut Season and the “First in Shanghai” event series last month.
“The experience store will be developed into an immersive centre, leveraging cutting-edge embodied intelligence technologies to bring technology closer to the public and further integrate robotics into everyday urban life.”
He added that choosing Shanghai is an important step for brands to establish offline experience centres and strengthen their presence in the consumer market, China Daily reports.
Since proposing in 2018 to become a global hub for product debuts, Shanghai has followed a distinctive development path that has provided useful experience for other cities, according to a report by the Development Research Center of the State Council.
The report also noted that 8,472 first stores of various levels have opened in Shanghai since 2018, including 1,093 in 2025 alone, with Asia-first or global-first stores accounting for 16.8% of the total.
“Each year during the China International Import Expo, more than 400 new products are launched, while at Shanghai Fashion Week, nearly 1,000 brands debut products and exhibitions. Alongside a range of platforms and exhibitions showcasing first-time releases, these have made Shanghai a prime destination for global product debuts,” stated Wang Wei, former director-general and senior research fellow at the Institute of Market Economy of the Development Research Center of the State Council.
Wang said a fully developed industrial ecosystem is now emerging, reinforcing Shanghai’s role as a national innovation hub for the debut economy.
“The debut economy plays an important role in the nation's strategy to boost domestic demand. This year, the fourth edition of policies on the debut economy has been released,” stated director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Shen Weihua.
“Based on previous versions, the new edition will focus on institutional innovation, financial support and tailored measures to facilitate the city's goal of creating a world-class business environment for the debut economy.”
Alongside the launch ceremony, this year’s “First in Shanghai” programme features five international debut conferences and 50 high-profile product and show launches, underscoring Shanghai’s role as a leading model for the debut economy.
Spanning industries such as beauty, fashion, home appliances, sports, pets, and cultural IPs, the 2025 edition of the event shows a marked upgrade in both scale and the quality of debut activities.