In the early 1980s, farmers in the urban-rural fringe of Changshu, using traditional cottage industries, set up stalls to sell their own clothes and knitwear near crowded long-distance bus stations according to local conditions, and spontaneously formed a street stall market. From 65438 to 0985, the local government respected the initiative of the masses and built the first farmer's market in China-Changshu Merchants Market. At that time, the market occupied only 3 acres, and there were only more than 300 booths covered with cement boards in the simple FRP ceiling. However, the unique location advantages of the Yangtze River Delta economic circle and the strong industrial advantages of Changshu clothing and home textiles have created favorable conditions for the rapid development of shopping malls, and also formed a development model of "making money from land, building a city with money and attracting investment from the city". After 25 years of unremitting development, Changshu Merchants City has now become the "China Changshu Clothing City" with an area of 3.7 1 square kilometer. There are 35 professional markets and 30,000 shops in the city, with 654.38+million operators and an average daily passenger flow of 300,000. The daily capital flow in peak season exceeds 654.38+02 billion yuan, and the annual transaction volume exceeds 654.38+02 billion yuan. Here, the humble FRP shed has become a modern commercial building, and the commercial format has also developed from the traditional tangible market to the seamless combination of tangible and intangible. For three years in a row, it ranked first in the "Top Ten Clothing Professional Markets in China" and became the veritable "No.1 Clothing Market in China". Recently, it was rated as "National Advanced Collective in Textile Industry" by the Ministry of Labor and Personnel and the China Textile Industry Association. At the same time, Changshu Clothing City was successfully established in 2007, becoming the only national 4A-level scenic spot with the theme of "shopping and tourism" in Jiangsu and the third in China. This year, it received 2.8 million tourists.
Looking forward to the coming "Twelfth Five-Year Plan", Changshu Clothing City will focus on implementing the development strategy of scale, specialization, branding, informationization, diversification and internationalization under the guidance of Scientific Outlook on Development, from a single wholesale market to a comprehensive business circle, and from a tangible market to an intangible market. While the hardware facilities are constantly improving, we will vigorously improve software services, promote the transformation and upgrading of commercial formats, and build Changshu Clothing City into a modern world clothing city that is suitable for business, livable and ecologically harmonious.
At yesterday's celebration meeting, Changshu Clothing City was also awarded the title of "Jiangsu Civilized and Honest Market" by the Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce.