The South Korean Lotte Group has signed a contract with Weihai Jiulong Real Estate to open a new Lotte Mart in the Weihai Economic and Technical Development Zone in Shandong.

The world's first Barbie flagship store will be opened in Shanghai in March 2009 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the doll.

Japanese retail giant Takashimaya and Gubei Group, a subsidiary of China Enterprise, have jointly announced that Takashimaya will open a new department store in Gubei, Shanghai.

International luxury brand Gucci has announced the opening of its new specialty store in Shenzhen.

International sports apparel maker Nike has announced plans to invest USD99 million to build a new distribution center in the Taicang Economic Development Area, Jiangsu, to reinforce its future development in China.

The international apparel retailer Hennes & Mauritz has announced that the company plans to open 225 new specialty stores around the world in 2009, and its first specialty store will be opened in Beijing this spring.