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Chinese shopping centre developer goes on the attack against e-commerce sites in full-page advert in international paper

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The full-page advertisement in the International New York Times urges consumers to “say no to online shopping”.

The fierce rivalry between China’s high street malls and its fast-growing online retailers spilled onto the world stage after a mainland shopping centre developer took out a full-page advertisement in the International New York Times to urge consumers to “say no to online shopping”.

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As China, the world’s second-largest consumer market, feels the chill of an economic slowdown, its traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers are increasingly anxious to keep their declining market share. Many see the fast-growing online retail platforms as the source of their problems.

“Say No to online shopping,” was the main headline of the advertisement campaign by China Properties Group published on December 26 and 27 on page five of the newspaper.

It claims to “represent commercial streets and physical malls worldwide in fighting against online shopping”.

READ MORE: China’s shopping mall operators struggle against e-commerce, consolidation in works

While it is becoming increasingly common for Chinese companies to run full-page advertisement campaigns in major foreign media, it is thought to be the first time one sector of a business has used them to attack another.

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