The second batch of nationwide retail industry innovation and upgrade pilot city application work has started

On the 8th, a reporter learned from the Ministry of Commerce that the Ministry of Commerce and four other departments recently issued a notice to launch the application work for the second batch of national retail industry innovation and upgrading pilot cities. According to the notice, the pilot application cities should be prefecture-level cities or above. They should have high enthusiasm and a solid foundation for promoting the development of the retail industry, and practical policies. They should be able to prepare pilot work plans in accordance with the requirements of the implementation plan for the retail industry innovation and upgrading project, promote innovative transformation and upgrading of the retail industry, explore the experience of revitalizing commercial facilities with an approach of “one store, one policy,” and create new business formats, new models, and new scenarios.

It is understood that since 2025, the Ministry of Commerce has made solid progress in promoting the construction of pilot cities in the first batch of 38 retail industry innovation and upgrading cities, achieving positive results in areas such as expanding domestic demand, boosting consumption, and improving people’s well-being. The pilot cities have completed 625 project updates and renovations, with a total building area of 24.1 million square meters, driving investment of about 75.6 billion yuan. Focusing on themes such as “Shopping in China,” the replacement of old consumer goods with new ones, Chinese time-honored brands, and the “15-minute convenient life service month,” a cumulative total of about 5,000 consumption-promotion activities have been carried out. ( Xinhua News Agency )