'Debut economy' boosts brands' innovation, production vitality in Shanghai

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"Debut economy" has been boosting the innovation and production capabilities of various emerging brands in Shanghai with lowered operational costs and simplified exposure process.

An industrial park named Elite Valley, a popular place for creative exhibitions and activities in the city's Baoshan District, has recently gathered nearly 100 furniture items from various domestic startups in one exhibition area. 

"Products from small brands can be placed together with products from other brands to set a marketing scene. For small brands, it doesn't matter if you only have one product at the moment. Through the debut, we hope to have 100 brands, and we can link them with 100 bloggers," said Yu Xiaoqi, head of Elite Valley.

The business model that significantly lowers the threshold for new product releases has made the park a centralized incubator for emerging brands.

As more room is provided for trial and iteration, the proportion of the first stores of different brands in the park currently exceeds 80 percent.

The head of the industrial park said that they have adopted tailored measures for different brand types, for example, the park manages to gain more policy support for brands with a stable customer base and helps to bridge industries, universities and research institutes.

Now, many companies have also moved their research and development centers to the park, and a series of newly developed products are being tested by the market through repeated upgrades.

"We are paying more and more attention to and cherish the opportunity of first release. To me, long-termism may be very important for innovative and original brands. In this park ecosystem, I think exchanges between different fields, across industries, sometimes can bring us some new inspirations," said Yang Xili, founder of Ziinlife Designs.

Shanghai's platform carriers and enterprises are working coordinately to build a full-dimensional ecosystem for the first-launch economy from first release, first store opening, to the initial formation of industrial chains.

"We used to talk a lot about accelerating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Now we see that the 'debut economy' has helped the latest achievements of our industrial development achieve greater value at the consumer market. Through the 'debut economy", we see that it is not just an event or a store, but an insight into the comprehensive upgrade of the entire industrial chain ecology. This also further promotes the connection between supply and demand at a higher level and achieves a new balance between supply and demand," said Liu Min, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.

'Debut economy' boosts brands' innovation, production vitality in Shanghai

The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.

In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.

"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.

Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."

Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.

President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.

Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.

Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests