A sketch of 10 Corso Como’s Beijing location, which is set to open this fall. (10 Corso Como)
As multibrand luxury shopping centers proliferate across China, Italian department store 10 Corso Como’s second mainland location is launching this fall in Beijing with a focus on offering shoppers a high-end lifestyle concept experience.
One year after its foray into the China market with the opening of its Shanghai spot, the company is preparing to unveil a new 1,100-square-meter space in the city’s Shin Kong Place shopping center. Featuring high-end niche fashion and jewelry brands, 10 Corso Como’s concept is aimed at creating a space for art, fashion, design, and other cultural elements. In order to promote the shopping center’s Italian heritage, the Beijing location is also set to include an Italian restaurant, bar, and cafe, according to the Chinese-language press release.
In order to come up with a unique aesthetic for the design of the space, 10 Corso Como enlisted American painter and sculpter Kris Ruhs to help with its design. The release states that it will feature a “sculpture garden” that creates a feeling of blending with nature, and will frequently hold art exhibitions in order to enrich consumers’ cultural experience while shopping.
The department store brand is expanding in China at a time when Chinese consumers are pursuing more individualistic style and demonstrating higher demand for niche labels. In addition to its Shanghai opening, several other multi-brand boutiques have opened on the mainland within the past year, including the French Galeries Lafayette in Beijing and Hong Kong’s Lane Crawford in Shanghai and Chengdu.