Groundbreaking of China’s Wuxi Maoye City comprising super five-star hotel, shopping centre, hotel-style apartment, grade A office and upscale residence

Construction of a new Wuxi business landmark with RMB2 billion

On 22 October, Wuxi’s [Taihu Plaza] (太湖廣場) was crowded with guests and celebrities. At 9am, after Wuxi’s officials such as Yang Weize, Party Secretary of CPC Wuxi Municipal Committee and Mao Xiaoping, Mayor of Wuxi city, together with [Huang Maoru, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wuxi Group] (茂業集團董事局主席黃茂如) shoveled the first spadeful of soil for “Wuxi Maoye City”, the construction of this project involving a total investment of RMB2 billion covering a total GFA of 450,000 sq.m. was formally commenced. Meanwhile, an internationally well-known hotel management company Marriott signed a contract with Maoye on the same day in that it will launch a super five-star hotel in Maoye City. According to Maoye’s person-in-charge, the company is intending to develop Wuxi Maoye City into a business centre radiating the entire city as well as the gold triangle region of Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou.

Project profile:

Phase I project expected to be opened by end of next year

Wuxi Maoye City is Maoye’s largest integrated real estates development project out of the region since its acquisition of Sichuan Chengshang Group in 2005. It is also a key project of [Maoye Group] (茂業集團) in 2006.

According to an introduction, Wuxi Maoye City is located in the golden sector in the south of [Taihu Plaza] (太湖廣場), occupying an area of more than 50,000 sq.m. Its planned floor area is 450,000 sq.m., of which the shopping centre takes up 200,000 sq.m.; office tower takes up 70,000 sq.m.; five-star hotel takes up 40,000 sq.m.; and high-end business apartment takes up 140,000 sq.m. It is a large-scale, integrated, modernized and high quality landmark business composite comprising the functions of shopping, dining, entertainment, office, hotel, business apartment and so on. Upon the completion of the project, it will become the largest integrated commercial complex in Wuxi.

The construction of Wuxi Maoye City consists of two phases. The business section of Phase I involves the renowned [Maoye Department Store] (茂業百貨) under [Maoye Group] (茂業集團) and specialty stores of diversified brands; whereas Phase II embraces five-star hotel, grade A office, high-end business apartment and various leisure and entertainment facilities including leisure restaurants of different styles, cinemas and real-ice rink etc. Besides, there will be over 2,000 parking spaces and hundreds of elevators in Wuxi Maoye City, facilitating customers’ convenient traveling within different sections of the plaza.

It is known that with the construction commencement of Wuxi Maoye City on yesterday, the business promotion, furnishing and design of [Maoye Department Store] (茂業百貨) in Phase I project has started as well, and is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Super five-star hotel to join Maoye City

The joining of Marriott, an internationally well-known hotel management company is a shining point of the Wuxi Maoye City project. In yesterday’s morning, [Maoye Group] (茂業集團) has formally executed a contract with the internationally renowned hotel management company Marriott at [Wuxi Taihu Restaurant] (太湖飯店), dedicating to joining hands to build a super five-star hotel at Wuxi Maoye City. The hotel is also said to be the first super five-star hotel managed and operated by Marriott in Wuxi.

Coming from the United States, Marriot is one of the top hotel management companies on the globe. It ranks third among the world hotel management companies. Its business spreads through the US and 67 countries and regions, managing over 2,800 hotels and providing around 490,500 rooms. The Marriot hotel at Maoye City, with 400 rooms enjoying the enchanting view of Lake Tai, will continue to adhere to its eminent operating mission and philosophy as well as quality service, so as to become an upscale hotel of international standard in Wuxi.

Joining hands to build Wuxi’s new business circles

   The person-in-charge added that Wuxi is located in a prosperous region, which forms the gold triangle region of Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou with the other two cities. It has a huge consumption potential, especially amidst the economic boom, the enlargement of social networking, widening of horizon, and the more and more diversified consumption demand of the citizens, there is certainly a need for a new and sizable integrated business complex.

Besides, Wuxi Maoye City is specifically situated in the new high-end commercial centre planned by the Wuxi Municipal Government. [Wuxi Maoye]’s neighbour [Taihu Plaza] (太湖廣場), known as the “city palor”, is the biggest landscaped plaza in the Huadong region. Everyday, there are tens of thousands of citizens and tourists visiting this plaza. While in the surrounding, sizable upscale business towers such as [World Trade Centre] (世貿中心) etc. have been established. On top of that, the government this year positioned [Taihu Plaza] (太湖廣場) as the most centralized district in terms of supporting facilities and social business projects. On 10 May, the constructions of [Wuxi Museum] (無錫市博物館), [Revolution Museum] (革命陳列館), [Technology Museum] (科技館), [Archive Museum] (檔案館) and [Urban Construction Archives] (城建檔案館) were started at the same time in the south of [Taihu Plaza] (太湖廣場). This “5 Museums” project has further demonstrated the functional standing of the [Taihu Plaza] (太湖廣場) region. And a new city nucleus is emerging.

Other than that, [Maoye Group] (茂業集團) has extensive experience in the property and business sectors, and possesses a professional management team and an accumulation of brand resources. According to the introduction, there are already successful cases of [Maoye Group] (茂業集團) in property operation. In Shenzhen’s two major prosperous business circles Dongmen and Huaqiangbei, for instance, one can find the outstanding works of [Maoye Group] (茂業集團). In 1994, Maoye initiated the transformation of Shenzhen Dongmen, and later on opened its Dongmen branch. Such act actualized a transition from an individual property development to a complex of property exploration plus operation, as well as constructing a 500-metre-long “gold shopping street” in Dongmen Road Central, enabling the thousand-year-old Dongmen old streets to shine with modern and commercial spirit. In 2003, Maoye’s Huaqiangbei branch, a 100,000-metre-long department store vessel was launched, which has transformed another large business circle Huaqiangbei in Shenzhen, consolidating and strengthening the nucleus position of Huaqiangbei business circle. To date, the daily average people flow in these two business circles exceeds 500,000.

    [Maoye Group]’s (茂業集團) person-in-charge said, Wuxi Maoye City is a sizable business complex embracing shopping centre, modernized office and business activities. Maoye will bring its years of experience in real estates development and business operation into full play to innovate an operating model of commercial property and focus on long-term corporate return and social efficiency. To achieve this goal, Maoye will also join hands with the surrounding large-scale business projects to establish Wuxi’s Qingyang Road into one comparable to Fifth Avenue in New York, Tokyo Ginza and Huaihai Road in Shanghai as well as creating a brand-new development model of business area, enhancing Wuxi’s business standard and strengthening the radiating capability of Wuxi’s businesses and economy.