Old flavors, new buzz on Huaihai Road

Booming growth

Old flavors anchor the neighborhood's character, but Huaihai Road's story is not just about preservation. Inside restored heritage spaces, new concepts are taking root.

At HAI550 mall, Matcha Wang opened late last year with its viral little sheep matcha latte, selling 20,000 cups in five months. Overseas tourists often visit specifically to pose with the hand-painted sheep design.

Homegrown designer brands, including Songmont, PANE and An Action A Day (AAAD), have also set up shop in old buildings beneath the plane trees, choosing character-filled heritage spaces over standardized mall counters.

Shanghai Customs data shows the scale of the boom. In the first five months of this year, it verified 201,000 tax-refund forms covering 1.92 billion yuan ($287 million) in sales, up 300 percent and 62 percent year-on-year, respectively. Both figures account for about 40 percent of the national total, ranking first nationwide.

For PANE, a local footwear brand known for its retro training shoes priced at around 800 yuan — roughly 30 percent cheaper than comparable premium international styles — overseas social media followers jumped from 30,000 to more than 140,000 in a year. Overseas visitors now make up 30 to 40 percent of customers at its Shanghai store.

Russian tourist Irina Rudometova picked up several pairs as gifts, alongside fragrances from To Summer and pieces from other domestic designer labels during her shopping spree on Huaihai Road.

"I love the lighting, the geometric design, the whole atmosphere and scent of the store. For me, the whole shopping experience matters as much as the product itself," she says.

Walk the full length of Huaihai Road, and its charm lies in its refusal to be pigeonholed. Heritage buildings stand firm, time-honored shops hold steady, and new brands grow steadily alongside them — each in its own rhythm, each complementing the other.

Old facades, new days — that is the timeless allure of Huaihai Road.