BJ Mourns the Loss of Another First-Generation Department Store
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This week it was announced that the Guiyou Department Store in Jianguomen will be renovated into a modern mall and office space. The news, which came via a Weibo post (read it via QR code below) by Mao Daqing, founder of Beijing-based co-working space Ucommune, announced that they would be opening a new space in the old department store. A wave of nostalgia ensued online as netizens reflected on the glory days of the Guiyou store and similar first-generation department stores across Beijing.
Built in the early '90s, Guiyou was once one of the few Western-style one-stop shops to offer a wide range of quality domestic and imported products. Outlets built around the same time include Sci-Tech Plaza, also in Jianguomen, the Landao Building in Dongdaqiao, Wangfujing Department Store, and the first and most famous among them all, the Friendship Store in Liangmaqiao.
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For many expats, these stores were the only place that they could hope to buy home comforts. However, they have become obsolete over the years because of changing consumer habits, relaxed regulations on imported goods, and continuous waves of renovation throughout the city giving rise to newer, flashier malls.
Examples of such can now be found a stone's throw from almost every subway stop within the Fourth Ring Road. Best known among this newer generation of malls are Joy City (Xidan and Chaoyang), Kaide Mall in Taiyonggong, Space 3 Mall in Shuangjing, and Sanlitun Soho. These updated venues have mushroomed throughout the city and succeeded in luring customers, especially the younger generation, away from the old-fashioned department stores with their modern and stylish architecture, ever-changing roster of hip brands, as well as a mixture of entertainment and lifestyle offerings such as cinemas, KTV, gyms, and beauty salons.
Old department stores have been left for dust by innovative, multi-purpose retail spaces such as Galaxy Soho, as pictured here at the 2019 Beijing Burger Festival
Meanwhile, with their dated architecture and decidedly uncool fashion stores, the old guard department stores have struggled to keep up with modern shopping habits and trends. Their closure also coincides with that of old wholesale markets, which have been forced out as part of Beijing's plan to curb the city's population (read more about this story via the QR code below).
This latest announcement isn't the first time that Guiyou has made an effort to refresh its image. In 2017, the company announced via their official website (guiyoustore.com) that they would "upgrade" the department store into a "mini-mall" that would offer a range of stores, entertainment, and lifestyle brands. Yet the announced upgrading never came to pass, and Guiyou continued to stagnate.
Whether this latest renovation attempt will bear any fruit remains to be seen, and Guiyou itself has yet to release an official announcement. However, many shops on the second floor have already retreated from the store, giving credibility to the prospect of a makeover. With more and more retailers expected to vacate the department store, Guiyou is likely to become a haven for sale-hunters in its last remaining weeks. If you've never visited the old faithful, now is a good time to drop by, and perhaps, say farewell to a piece of Beijing history.
Photo: booking.com, Uni You
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