OVERVIEW
Background
Chengdu's retail scene is being reshaped by a new generation of commercial district formats and digitally-run retail brands. Chengdu SKP has introduced an "underground mall plus ground-level park" model, the first of its kind in Southwest China. Tiexiang Lake Water Street blends traditional Sichuan-Western architecture with a "Park City" lifestyle concept to create a non-standard commercial street. LUXELAKES CPI takes this further, building park-based commerce curated directly by store owners rather than a conventional mall operator. Alongside these formats, homegrown brands such as ChaPanda are digitising their supply chains to scale new tea beverage retail nationally, while Eastern Suburb Memory shows how a retail and cultural district can be built around IP incubation and tourism rather than storefronts alone.
This immersion programme gives Singapore retail leaders a close, on-the-ground look at how new retail business models, commercial district design, and digital supply chains are converging in Chengdu, alongside direct engagement with local retail entrepreneurs and trade officials.
Outcomes
Participants will leave with a practical framework for evaluating and adapting new retail concepts to their own business. This includes:
- A working framework for analysing new retail business models, drawn directly from the dedicated lecture on the topic.
- Exposure to alternative commercial district formats, from underground mall-and-park designs to store owner-curated, park-based commerce.
- An understanding of how retail brands digitise their supply chain to scale a single product category nationally.
- Insight into hero product strategy and user-centric thinking, and how these apply in a circle economy.
- Direct networking with local retail entrepreneurs and Chengdu trade zone officials, opening potential cross-border collaboration.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
What to Expect
A lecture from a Sichuan University international relations professor on China's trade and opening-up policy direction.
Direct exposure to China's leading digital platform, luxury smart-park retail, park-based commerce, new tea beverage supply chains, and cultural tourism districts.
A dedicated lecture from a Hangzhou e-commerce industry veteran providing a structured framework for analysing and building new retail models.
A dedicated networking session and dinner with representatives from ChaPanda, MIXUE, Hema Fresh, and Chengdu International Railway Port Economic Zone officials.
Takeaways
- How to apply a structured framework for analysing and building new retail business models.
- How commercial districts are being redesigned around experience: underground-mall-and-park integration, culturally-themed non-standard streets, and store owner-curated park commerce.
- How a single-category retail brand (new tea beverage) builds a digitised, scalable supply chain.
- How IP incubation and cultural tourism can anchor a retail and lifestyle district.
- How China's inland trade hubs are opening new cross-border sourcing and trade routes.
- How hero product strategy and user-centric thinking translate into practice in a circle economy.
BRAND EXPERIENCES
PROGRAMME SCHEDULE
20 Sep
Sunday · Day 1
↓
| Time | Programme | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| All Day | Arrival in Chengdu |
21 Sep
Monday · Day 2
↓
| Time | Programme | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30–10:00 | Opening & Self-Introduction | |
| 10:00–12:00 | LectureNew Trends in International Trade and High-Level Opening-Up | Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of International Studies, Sichuan University; Head of a Leading Think Tank; and Prominent Media Commentator |
| 12:00–14:00 | Lunch Break | |
| 15:00–17:00 | Site VisitEastern Suburb Memory (Dongjiao Jiyi)Park operation, IP incubation, and cultural tourism symbiosis. | |
| 18:00–20:00 | Welcome Dinner | |
| 20:00–21:00 | Cultural Experience (free & easy)Chunxi RoadChengdu: A Benchmark for Creating Distinctive Commercial Districts Nationwide. | |
22 Sep
Tuesday · Day 3
↓
| Time | Programme | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30–12:00 | Site VisitA Benchmark Commercial Complex for Experiential Retail in ChengduUnderstand how a commercial complex enhances customer conversion and the overall retail experience. 了解商业综合体如何提升客流转化与消费体验 | |
| 12:00–14:00 | Lunch Break | |
| 14:00–18:00 | Company & Factory Visits Sichuan Baicha Baidao (ChaPanda) A Benchmark for New Tea Beverage Supply Chain & Digital Operations. Chengdu International Railway Port Exhibition Hall An Inland Hub and Gateway to Cross-border Trade. | |
| Panel DiscussionBridging Innovation Corridors: Chengdu–Singapore Entrepreneurial Synergy成都-新加坡企业家交流会 | 1. Relevant heads of the Administrative Committee of Chengdu International Railway Port Economic and Technological Development Zone, Chengdu Port Investment Co., Ltd., and Chengdu Economic Development Construction & Development Co., Ltd. 2. Representative(s) from ChaPanda, MIXUE, Hema Fresh, and other relevant enterprises |
|
23 Sep
Wednesday · Day 4
↓
| Time | Programme | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00–12:00 | Site VisitNew Hope GroupOne of China's First National Key Leading Enterprises in Agricultural Retail and Industrialization. | |
| 12:00–14:00 | Lunch Break | |
| 15:00–17:00 | Site VisitChengdu SKPThe first "smart-park" luxury commercial complex in Southwest China, featuring a unique "underground mall + ground-level park" design. | |
| 18:00–20:00 | Dinner | |
24 Sep
Thursday · Day 5
↓
| Time | Programme | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30–11:30 | Mobile ClassroomIntegrating People, Products & Sales ChannelsLearn how to integrate people, products and sales channels; explore content-driven product seeding, traffic monetisation and retail digital transformation. | Leading MCN Agency in Chengdu — Yinshi Culture (瘾食文化) |
| 12:00–14:00 | Lunch Break | |
| 14:00–16:30 | Site VisitLUXELAKES CPIPark-based Commerce and Brand Curation by Store Owners — 公园商业与主理人品牌策展，麓湖 CPI. | |
25 Sep
Friday · Day 6
↓
| Time | Programme | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30–11:30 | LectureAnalysis of New Retail Business Models | New Retail Expert; Advisor to the Unmanned Store Committee of the China Commerce Association for General Merchandise; Former Investment Director at Lianhua Supermarket, one of China's leading retail chains |
| 11:30–14:00 | Lunch Break | |
| 15:00–17:00 | Assessment 团组验收 | |
| 18:00–20:00 | Closing Ceremony & Dinner 结业晚宴 | |
26 Sep
Saturday · Day 7
↓
| Time | Programme | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| All Day | Departure |
The organiser reserves the right to make any amendments to the programme subject to availability.
Fee Table
| Participant Profile | Self-Sponsored | Employer-Sponsored | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SME | Non-SME | ||
|
Singapore Citizen < 40 years old Permanent Resident · LTVP+ |
$2,517.90 (After SWDA Funding 70%) |
$977.90
After SWDA Funding 70% + ETSS Funding 20% |
$2,517.90 (After SWDA Funding 70%) |
| Singapore Citizen ≥ 40 years old |
$977.90
After SWDA Funding 70% + MCES Funding 20% |
$977.90
After SWDA Funding 70% + ETSS Funding 20% |
$977.90
After SWDA Funding 70% + MCES Funding 20% |
| International Participant | $8,393 (No Funding) | $8,393 (No Funding) | $8,393 (No Funding) |
All prices include 9% GST
Please note that the programme fees are subject to change without prior notice.
Post Secondary Education Account (PSEA)
PSEA can be utilised for subsidised programmes eligible for SkillsFuture Credit support. Click here to find out more.
Employer Sponsored
Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS) ↓
To qualify for ETSS, companies must meet all of the following criteria:
- Organisation must be registered or incorporated in Singapore
- Employment size of not more than 200 or with annual sales turnover of not more than $100 million
- Trainees must be hired in accordance with the Employment Act and fully sponsored by their employers for the course
- Trainees must be Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents
- Trainees must not be a full-time national serviceman
- Trainees are eligible for ETSS funding only if their company's SME status is approved prior to the course commencement date. To verify your SME's status, please click here.
Please click here for more information on ETSS.
Absentee Payroll ↓
Employers who sponsor their employees for the course may apply for Absentee Payroll here. For more information, please refer to:
Self Sponsored
SkillsFuture Credit ↓
Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use their SkillsFuture Credits to pay for the course fees. The credits may be used on top of existing course fee funding.
This is only applicable to self-sponsored participants. Application to utilise SkillsFuture Credits can be submitted when making payment for the course via the SMU Academy TMS Portal, and can only be made within 60 days of course start date.
Please click here for more information on the SkillsFuture Credit. For help in submitting an SFC claim, you may wish to refer to our step-by-step guide on claiming SkillsFuture Credits (Individual).
Workfare Skills Support Scheme ↓
From 1 July 2023, the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme has been enhanced. Please click here for more details.