Leading Asset Management Model in the Mature Stock Era: Wanda Wukesong's "Operational Efficiency Improvement" and "Value Elevation"

Entering 2026, the commercial real estate sector continues to release positive news.

In chronological order, on January 9th, it was announced that China Duty Free Group will acquire DFS’s travel retail business in Hong Kong and Macau, as well as intangible assets in Greater China, for no more than $395 million. Subsequently, the Ministry of Commerce released data showing that during the 2026 Spring Festival (February 17–23), among 78 monitored key commercial districts in China, both foot traffic and sales increased by 6.7% and 7.5% year-on-year, respectively. During this year’s “Two Sessions,” the government work report emphasized the implementation of a special action to boost consumption, proposing measures in 11 areas to stimulate residents’ internal consumption motivation and promote policies to sustain growth…

All these pieces of information point to a common trend: at macro, meso, and micro levels, the economy is showing signs of improvement, and the consumer market is steadily expanding. As a space carrier of this positive trend, especially for high-quality commercial projects located in economic core areas with outstanding performance, market value is rapidly increasing.

This is particularly evident in Beijing Wukesong Wanda Plaza (hereinafter “Wukesong Wanda”).

Statistics show that by the end of 2025, 308 major brands shared the 130,000 square meters of leasing space at Wukesong Wanda, achieving a 15% year-on-year increase in sales. Focusing on operational performance during the New Year, by the sixth day of the first lunar month in 2026, both foot traffic and sales at Wukesong Wanda saw significant growth.

The once-avoided “non-standard renovation projects” have now successfully transformed into benchmarks that drive local economic growth, enhance the vitality of target customer groups, and increase interaction stickiness, with rapidly rising value.

Time has not diminished the freshness of Wukesong Wanda; instead, it has established itself as a lasting commercial model, accumulating strong upward momentum in just three years and gradually becoming a core commercial landmark in western Beijing. How can assets be systematically enhanced in a short period? Wukesong Wanda, committed to long-termism, has its own “methodology.”

Transforming into a “Planner”

After signing agreements, operators often act as “referees”: strictly enforcing rules to prevent brands from overstepping. But Wukesong Wanda is different; it functions more like a “planner.”

Staff members say that during tenant recruitment, Wukesong Wanda does not strictly follow the “highest bid wins” rule. Instead, it focuses on overall space planning, placing brands in more suitable locations based on consumer flow design, which begins to change the game.

To drive a leap in consumption levels, Wukesong Wanda has made many efforts during tenant recruitment. For example, the “MELANDCLUB” parent-child amusement project, covering over 10,000 square meters, has become a landmark project not only for Wukesong Wanda but also for the entire Wukesong commercial circle.

The introduction of the first Beijing store “Fangsuo” leverages its cultural space attributes and frequent high-quality events like author signings and cultural lectures, becoming a regional cultural magnet and traffic engine. Together, they form a “culture + experience” dual-core growth driver, with flagship stores playing an ideal role in attracting visitors.

After traffic influx, designing movement lines became a new challenge—Wukesong Wanda’s clever approach. For example, in the northern area on the first floor, consumers generally focus on new energy vehicles, so brand experience zones are concentrated at the end of the flow. When visitors need a break, they walk to the east area, which features a “coffee + baking + light social” complex. Mainstream brands like apparel, jewelry, and daily necessities line both sides of the route, encouraging consumption.

A sales staff member at a brand in the atrium said that although their space at Wukesong Wanda isn’t large, sales have maintained rapid growth.

Wukesong Wanda staff update operational data such as foot traffic and sales weekly, using big data analysis to identify underperforming brands for timely replacement. Following the “precise racing” principle, they accelerate internal ecosystem renewal through the淘汰 of brands.

In 2025, Wukesong Wanda precisely adjusted nearly 70 brands, about 22% of the total, contributing over 60% of sales growth.

During this process, Wukesong Wanda rationally assesses brand fit and clarifies labels for many brands, enhancing sales momentum. For example, Ninghai Food Court (all customer levels, high-end quality, seafood health), Jiuse Yun (youth, mass consumption, popular internet celebrities), Qingshuiting (all customer levels, high-end quality, local特色), MARSMARTPETS (all customer levels, mass consumption, pet entertainment), Re-BLUE (middle-aged women, quality lifestyle, elegant design) were given clear labels, becoming the top five brands in sales increase in 2025, with significant growth in annual sales and foot traffic.

This process marks Wukesong Wanda’s transformation from merely space “manager” to an “expert” in asset operation value enhancement. This methodology for boosting freshness and appeal has also become key to Zhuhai Wanda Commercial Management’s rent pricing model.

By optimizing tenant structure to improve efficiency and employing refined operations to control costs, Wukesong Wanda has delivered an excellent report card: by 2025, total sales increased by 15% year-on-year, and foot traffic grew by 21%.

Content Reimagined, Beyond the “Poetry”

Zhuhai Wanda Commercial Management once posed an internal question: what will determine product strength in the future? The answer emphasizes that operators must provide value in three dimensions: human interaction, the warmth of the space, and immediate resonance, creating products with recognition, soul, magnetic field, and growth.

To achieve these goals, Wukesong Wanda has set its direction: to excel in both physical scene spaces and the cultural spiritual core, maximizing value.

Before renovation, the atrium at Wukesong Wanda was enclosed, with the top platform mainly used for decorations. After renovation, the enclosed opening was removed and replaced with a 64-meter-long, 30-meter-high, unsupported, six-story “flying” escalator, connecting two giant squirrel art installations (“Little Song Song”) at each end and a 1,200-square-meter LED sky screen.

This scenographic transformation not only allows rapid movement of visitors from the lower to upper floors but also creates a sci-fi atmosphere of “crossing through a space-time canyon,” providing an immersive shopping experience. The value of non-retail spaces has been further innovated and enhanced.

During the 2026 Technology Temple Fair, such scenographic renovations also drew attention. Main stores like Fudi, Ailehui, Yaolai Cinema, Decathlon, and Luk Fook Jewelry featured numerous robots as key performers, becoming AI-themed check-in points unique to each store.

This scenographic approach brought high traffic to flagship stores and provided a stage for robots, achieving mutual value enhancement.

As for cultivating the cultural spiritual core, ongoing cultural activities have gradually become another widely recognized “business card” of Wukesong Wanda.

Focusing on the 2026 Spring Festival, Wukesong Wanda began strategic planning three and a half months in advance, centering around the Technology Temple Fair, Peony Blossom Festival, and Member-Exclusive SP resources, planning 390 events. Through member group coupons, lotteries, and points redemption, they built a closed loop of “traffic attraction—staying—conversion.”

Similar activities are not uncommon. So far, Wukesong Wanda has hosted mature IPs like the New Year Music Concert and Public Space Art Season, as well as brand events such as “Beijing Fashion Institute 2025 Graduate Works Exhibition,” “AI Celebrates the New Year in Haidian,” “Haidian Spring Technology Temple Fair,” and “New Year Concert,” successfully landing top-tier resources.

With these “beyond the poetry” efforts, Wukesong Wanda has gained substantial benefits. Through high-quality interaction and service experience, it maximizes customer resonance, achieves differentiated growth, and further creates positive attraction, making frequent visits a norm. These “content-driven activities” have also established Wukesong Wanda as a benchmark project for stimulating local consumption, laying a solid foundation for capturing consumer minds.

From Point to Surface: Elevating Value

Wukesong Wanda has demonstrated strong adaptability, proving that precise operations can achieve a positive “dual spiral” of traffic and management value—though this may just be the beginning.

Recently, third-party firm First Pacific Davis released “2025 Beijing Office Market Review and Outlook,” noting that commercial districts with mature supporting facilities and industry clustering show stronger tenant attraction. Over time, these districts will drive the overall value of surrounding properties, embodying one of the core values of long-termism.

Currently, Wukesong Wanda, committed to long-term development, has shown significant influence on regional commercial levels. According to data from CBRE and Zhongzhi Research Institute, through renovations and effective management, Wukesong commercial circle has seen increases in nearby office rent, reduced vacancy rates, and rising new residential land prices, all on a steady upward trajectory.

It is evident that the previous label of “sports venues surrounding” Wukesong has continued to boost local consumption; however, as Wukesong Wanda matures into a “city-level consumption destination,” it is becoming another powerful driver of regional spending.

Foot traffic, sales growth, and brand performance hitting new highs… The three major tasks during the cultivation phase—boosting foot traffic, expanding sales, and solidifying project positioning—have been achieved. But looking further ahead, whether Wukesong Wanda can become a benchmark and lead more assets to overall value enhancement remains a long-term test.

Objectively, the external environment is favorable: NielsenIQ’s “Top 10 Key Trends in China’s Consumer Retail Market Toward 2026” predicts that Chinese consumers are gradually adapting to the current economic environment, with optimistic future expectations, and are confident in continued growth in 2026. In Beijing, CBRE North China Regional Managing Director Liu Huanli also remains optimistic about 2026.

“Projects with strong IP attributes, excellent operational capabilities, and content innovation will receive more policy support and market favor,” Liu Huanli said when discussing projects with greater potential. These qualities—IP, operations, and content innovation—are now concentrated in Wukesong Wanda. Replicating these successful experiences across other Zhuhai Wanda projects is key to turning incremental growth into qualitative change.

Official statistics show that Zhuhai Wanda Commercial Management is gradually forming a “super-entrance” with annual foot traffic of 6.01 billion, vehicle flow of 480 million, and over 100,000 merchants. When these successful experiences interact across different scenarios, a new wave of value-added effects is inevitable.

This marks a shift from “point” success stories to a “network” of projects. The promising start in 2026 suggests even greater potential in the future.