China is already a manufacturing center for consumer electronics. Now it’s retail’s turn.
A visit this week to the ritzy The MixC shopping mall, located in the country’s sprawling port city of Qingdao, revealed a robust retail scene for CE that rivals, and in some ways exceeds, U.S. stores.
Anchored by a glass-enclosed Apple Store, the six-story mall also houses manufacturer showrooms from Lenovo, De’Longhi and floor-care maker Karcher.
But the reigning CE specialty chain, iGE, earns its stripes with engaging live displays and a compelling mix of mobile, gaming, personal audio and comic-book collectibles – and an adjacent attraction featuring VR-experience pods.
