Tech, Fashion and Design Stores Set Up Shop on Nanjing Rd W.

Nanjing Road W., one of Shanghai's busiest shopping districts, is seeing new tech, culture, fashion, and home design stores.

September 28 saw the first 2026 NSW Tech & Culture Innovation Festival open with live music, robot martial arts, and a human-machine dance performance. Running through October 7, the festival brought events to the Shanghai Exhibition Center, Jing'an Park, Wujiang Road, Reel Mall and other venues.

Over 20 technology companies participated in Jing'an's first AI-themed street market on Yongyuan Road, where visitors could watch robots make coffee, interact with robotic displays, and hear AI-generated music. The festival included street performances and a bus parade that turned Jing'an Park into an open-air stage in the evening.

On September 28, JD.com opened 101HOME near Jing'an Temple. The four-story, roughly 10,000-square-meter space brings together more than 300 home and design brands, including more than 30 making their China debut. It also houses Juanzong Books, Kyoto Here Cafe's first store in China, and New York streetwear brand Devine'r.

International fashion labels are expanding in the district. The Los Angeles lifestyle brand ALO is opening eight stores in seven Chinese cities, including two in Jing'an. One opened in Zhangyuan Garden on September 28, and HKRI Taikoo Hui will soon have a flagship. NikeSKIMS opened its first Chinese experience space at HKRI Taikoo Hui, which will stay open until February 2027.

Jing'an has spent years building the commercial and cultural infrastructure to attract international brands and new product launches, resulting in a cluster of new openings.

Around Nanjing Road W., landmarks including Plaza 66, HKRI Taikoo Hui and Zhangyuan offer a range of settings, from large flagship stores to pop-ups, exhibitions and public events.

The district has also streamlined customs clearance and product launches and offered site selection, regulatory approvals, legal, accounting, and consulting services to companies entering the Chinese market.

A Zhangyuan bonded warehouse model and other measures aim to speed up and lower the cost of introducing new international products to Chinese consumers.

Artificial intelligence, audiovisual production, and digital content businesses support the area's economy. That allows brands to combine retail with technology, culture, and entertainment, expanding Nanjing Road W.'s role beyond shopping.