Hefei and Wuhu Selected for National Pilot of New Consumption Formats and Models

Recently, the General Offices of the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Finance issued the Notice on Conducting Pilots for New Consumption Formats, New Business Models, and New Consumption Scenarios. The pilot program will cover 50 cities nationwide, and in Anhui Province, Hefei and Wuhu were selected.

The pilots will focus on improving the debut‑economy service system by supporting the creation of debut centers and debut‑economy clusters, and by building multi‑tiered product‑launch platforms in key commercial districts, creative parks, and cultural venues. They will promote diverse service and consumption scenarios by encouraging business and model innovation and by advancing the application of digital technologies such as AI and the metaverse in entertainment, tourism, health, and sports—creating new integrated consumption scenes that combine commerce, travel, culture and fitness. The initiative also supports cross‑brand collaborations between premium consumption resources and well‑known IPs, leveraging online digital entertainment platforms and IP incubation platforms to connect design, development, production, marketing, and promotion across the full value chain, develop related merchandising lines, and build immersive consumption spaces.

With policy backing, Hefei and Wuhu will develop a number of projects that deliver strong consumption stimulus, serve as leading demonstrations, and showcase distinctive innovation. They will improve the debut‑economy service system, create diversified service and consumption scenarios, raise consumption quality, expand service consumption, and cultivate new sources of consumer growth. The goal is to spur the continuous emergence of new consumption formats, boost consumption vitality, better meet the public’s diverse and differentiated consumption needs, and provide robust support for high‑quality economic development.

Source: Anhui Daily