BritCham Shanghai Hospitality Committee hosted The Shanghai Hospitality, F&B, Retail Industry Outlook event

Tao Zhou presented an in-depth analysis of market trends in the hospitality sector, including:

1. Revenue and Operational Dynamics: He emphasised the interconnectedness of room occupancy, food & beverage (F&B) revenues, and meeting and event space utilisation, highlighting how occupancy drives F&B and other operational departments​.
2. Shanghai Market Insights: Insights were provided from JLL’s first survey on Shanghai’s upscale hotel F&B performance, revealing trends such as stabilisation in revenue and cautious optimism for growth in 2025. Specific sectors like wedding and speciality restaurants were identified as areas of fluctuating profitability​.
3. Repositioning and Renovation: He highlighted the growing importance of repositioning older assets through branding and renovation to maintain competitiveness, particularly in Shanghai’s highly saturated market​.

Nikki Lin delivered an insightful presentation on the importance of establishing a strong brand as a crucial contributor to long-term business success.

Nikki emphasised that a strong brand should focus on the “inside”, know its position and take advantage of it, and not change easily to win in both good and bad times instead of chasing external trends and short-term sales. “By knowing who you are, you know how to guide innovations and brand development, the brand could become your greatest asset.”

She highlighted the power when standardisation meets personalisation (body meets soul). “While standardisation is important, each brand also needs to maintain its uniqueness and personalisation in order to attract different types of consumers and differentiate itself from competitors.”

Furthermore, Nikki introduced the WPP BAV (Brand Asset Valuator), which is the world’s largest people-driven brand analysis platform to evaluate brands, including brand strength and stature.

Last but not least, she underscored an important principle: “If you don’t know where to start with, just let your brand sit and simmer. The last thing you want to do is to overdo it. The best brands are slow cooked.”

In her presentation, she showcased remarkable projects collaborated between Design Bridge and partners China and the brand owners, such as Hotel Jen under the Shangri-la Group, Rissai Valley resort which is part of the Ritz-Carlton group, the leading German retail brand Aldi and WUSU the local power brand under Carlsberg.  All of which inspired and resonated with the audience.  During the Q&A session, she proactively addressed questions from attendees across various industries, fostering positive interactions.

We extend special thanks for both speakers and attendees for their active participation and insightful contributions to the event. And great thanks to Kimpton Qiantan Shanghai for providing the venue.