[In the Picture] Wingzz China: from IKEA living centers to the innovation express

From a shopping center designed as a place to linger, to a logistics company in Hangzhou that integrates new technology directly into the workplace. On days 3 and 4 of the Wingzz China retail tour, innovation became even more tangible.

Retail as a destination

Day three took place at Livat Shanghai, the mixed-use complex operated by IKEA’s retail operator, Ingka Centres. There, retail isn’t isolated in a box-like store: shops, restaurants, offices, co-working spaces, and events are all interwoven within a single environment. During the tour of local brands, what stood out most was how strongly the destination is organized around the concept of “staying.” The store is just one part of the whole: visitors must also be able to eat, work, meet up, and participate in activities there.

In the afternoon, that model was further analyzed during the CN-EU Retail Lab Workshop. Chinese and European entrepreneurs exchanged insights on retail trends, new formats, and opportunities for collaboration. The discussion centered not only on new stores but, above all, on the question of how physical locations can remain relevant in a market where many transactions take place digitally. Physical retail is finding it increasingly difficult to compete based on product selection alone, so its appeal must come from a combination of factors: diverse functions, a unique atmosphere, and reasons to stay longer.

Technology on the shop floor

In Hangzhou, innovation took a much more industrial turn on day four with a visit to the SF Express Innovation Center. The group was shown demonstrations of technology that supports physical labor and solutions that further automate logistics processes. It was precisely these concrete applications that made an impression: not technology as a showroom display, but systems designed to move people, goods, and information more efficiently through the supply chain.

SF Express also uses the center as a place where its own R&D and startups come together. This creates an environment where new ideas can be tested relatively quickly against real-world logistics processes. The most striking observation after four days in China is, above all, the speed with which companies translate technology into tangible applications: in retail environments, in logistics processes, and in new collaboration models.