Tag: shenzen

  • Apple opens second MixC store in Shenzhen, China

    Apple opens second MixC store in Shenzhen, China

    Apple will open its second MixC store in Shenzhen, China, as part of its strategy to strengthen its local footprint.

    Apple said the new store has a Padang Light stone floor and a timber veneer-clad wall sourced responsibly and locally in China, maximizing visibility within the store.

    The store will feature the latest Apple products and accessories and an Apple Pickup station that combines the online and in-person purchasing experiences for Chinese customers. Apple said the dedicated area allows customers to order online and conveniently pick up their devices in-store.

    “At Apple, we’re constantly innovating to deliver the best possible experience for our customers, and our incredible team members in Shenzhen can’t wait to welcome them when doors open,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior VP of Retail.

    The addition of Apple MixC Shenzhen marks the 55th Apple Store location in the area and the fourth in China’s Guangdong province. Apple has welcomed 22 million visitors to Shenzhen since Apple Holiday Plaza Shenzhen, the city’s first Apple Store, opened its doors in 2012.

    The new store employs approximately 150 trained retail team members who speak ten languages, including Chinese, Cantonese, English, Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and sign language.

    After Europe and the United States, China is Apple’s third most important market. According to Bloomberg, Apple gained its most quarterly market share in China earlier this year, outpacing Covid outages and a global economic downturn.

    Apple disclosed plans to open its first company-run retail presence in Mumbai, India’s financial powerhouse, at the beginning of this month.

  • Hong Kong and Shenzhen sign 25 agreements to strengthen cooperation in tech and commerce, as Greater Bay Area cities boost economic collaboration

    Hong Kong and Shenzhen sign 25 agreements to strengthen cooperation in tech and commerce, as Greater Bay Area cities boost economic collaboration

    Hong Kong and Shenzhen plan to strengthen economic cooperation, as cities in the Greater Bay Area accelerate partnerships to rejuvenate growth following China’s easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

    A delegation from Shenzhen’s Futian district signed 25 agreements with the Hong Kong government on Friday to enhance cooperation in a number of fields, including technology, business and commerce.

    “Hong Kong is transitioning to the stage of systematic regulation towards prosperity, while the mainland is also trying to revive every sector,” Huang Wei, the Communist Party head of Futian district, said at a briefing in Hong Kong on Friday. “Across the nation [people and cities] are striving for economic growth.”

    He added that Futian would provide comprehensive support to “our friends in Hong Kong” as the district seeks to attract investment and talent to drive growth.

    Local Chinese governments are encouraging in-person meetings and business trips as they vie for investment and talent to boost economic growth, after the country’s gross domestic product grew by 3 per cent last year, missing the annual target of around 5.5 per cent.

    Hong Kong has also launched a major drive to regain its economic position after three years of stagnation caused by strict Covid-19 curbs, focusing on luring international investment and talent and boosting business with the mainland.

    Futian, an important business and commercial centre and home to large multinational companies such as Walmart and Ping An Insurance Group, aims to innovate its economy with three growth engines – technology and innovation, finance and fashion.

    Officials from Shenzhen-based companies including artificial intelligence drug discovery firm XtalPi and Hong Kong-listed eye clinic C-MER Eye Care present at the briefing said they plan to expand cross-border cooperation and investments.

    The partnership underscores the mutual need to speed up the integration of the 11 cities in the Greater Bay Area, as economic recovery tops the agenda set by Beijing for this year.

    The two cities will undertake joint initiatives to attract foreign investment and companies, said Bernard Chan Pak-li, undersecretary for commerce and economic development.

    “Hong Kong serves as a two-way platform, bringing foreign companies and funds to the Greater Bay Area for on-site tours and connecting them with different companies,” Chan said. “We are also trying to help firms in the Greater Bay Area go abroad and find business opportunities together.”
    Cities in the Greater Bay Area also increasingly engaging with each other following the resumption of quarantine-free travel on February 6.

    On Thursday, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu wrapped up his first official trip to cities in the region.

    Ronald Tam, the chief financial officer of XtalPi, said that his company plans to speed up its expansion in Hong Kong, thanks partly to the government’s policies announced in the budget to attract talent.

    “We are actively planning [to open] our AI dry lab into Hong Kong, and we hope to have 10-30 colleagues relocate to Hong Kong,” said Tam.

  • Studio 0321 offer diners blooms in a box

    Studio 0321 offer diners blooms in a box

    Shenzhen-based Studio 0321 has inserted a rose-tinted box containing a flower shop into the front of a restaurant in Dongguan, giving diners and passers-by an impression of the blooms inside.

    Nous restaurant offers both a dining space and florist, and visitors are encouraged to explore the connection between different flowers and food ingredients. The owners tasked Studio 0321 with creating a space that “solves the relationship between flora and dining in a visual, functional and emotional way”.

    To achieve this, the studio decided to house the florist within a pink translucent box, visually connecting it to the restaurant. At its centre is a long counter where flowers are displayed, creating a partial screen between the street and diners in the restaurant.

    “We like this kind of conflict and interference, rather than a mediocre and harmonious coexistence,” says Studio 0321.

    Storage is provided by matching pink cabinetry, all echoed by rosy-hued tiles on the restaurant facade.

    The restaurant interior is almost entirely in dark grey terrazzo with oversized white aggregate for an “extreme visual experience”. This is complemented by metal tabletops and slate-coloured cushions on the bench seats.

    Other than a mirrored panel along a peripheral wall, decoration has been kept to a minimum.

    Continuing the palette of the flower shop, a staircase with a pink glass balustrade and terrazzo steps leads to the second floor.