China International Trade: Leading Western brands choose Shanghai for largest flagship stores

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China's huge consumer base has made it a magnet for leading Western brands. Robust economic growth has swelled the ranks of the middle class and given them more purchasing power. And as China welcomes more foreign investment, some of these leading brands are choosing to open their largest flagship stores in the eastern metropolis Shanghai. CGTN's Han Peng reports.

Shanghai is a shopper's delight. Now it's also a place where many Western brands have opened their largest flagship stores in the world. Germany's kitchenware brand Zwilling opened theirs in April, in the city's most expensive area.

The store sells much more than just knives and forks. It has opened an Italian restaurant and hired Michelin-starred chefs, who don't just cook well, but also talk it up with customers.

CORNELIA POLETTO CHEF, ZWILLING FLAGSHIP STORE IN SHANGHAI "If you want to have a good beef tartare, you have to have the best ingredient. This beef is from Australia. And most importantly, a good knife. And you cut it not too fast, so you can keep the taste and texture of the beef."

Apparently, Zwilling hopes the Chinese can buy their story that the brand represents an upper middle class lifestyle, so they can sell more of their kitchenware.

HAN PENG SHANGHAI "A Chinese kitchen used to be a place of choking smoke and greasy stoves, but not any more. Now for many families, it's more than a place of just doing household chores and putting food on the table, but a place to enjoy leisure time and, probably, cook some meals with delicacy."

DR. ERICH SCHIFFERS ZWILLING GLOBAL CEO "China today is the most important and the largest market for the Zwilling world, bigger than the USA and bigger than Germany. It is a crucial part of our strategy to create a premium image of our brand. Wherever the Chinese consumers are expecting really premium brands, we have to be present."

Last December, Starbucks unveiled its largest flagship store, right next to Zwilling. CGTN sat down with the founder of the Starbucks.

HOWARD SCHULTZ STARBUCKS FOUNDER "This is multiple years of planning to create a coffee wonderland, so you can see coffee roasted, coffee packaged, and then have multiple ways to enjoy coffee. I think the Chinese customers are going to be overwhelmed with their excitement."

YANG CHENGXI SHANGHAI "So what does this say about Starbucks' assessment of China's market?"

HOWARD SCHULTZ STARBUCKS FOUNDER "The facility is emblematic of our long-term commitment to the growth of Starbucks China to the investment, and our belief in the Chinese economy and Chinese consumers."

The Chinese consumers are not just buying more goods from the world, but are learning to embrace better lives through global trade. Han Peng, CGTN, Shanghai.