Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily news

With most of the 30 global top-rated brands opening outlets there, Shanghai should be proud of its Nanjing Road W.
World famous Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry and MarcJacobs have each opened their Asian flagship stores on Nanjing Road W. before the upcoming National Day holiday; Armani, making a foray into the city for the first time, has opened the first boutiques for two of its brands, Emporio and AJ, on the road; Lancome has also opened one of its leading flagship stores at the intersection of the Nanjing Road W. and Shaanxi Road N, with a larger floor space than in Paris and Tokyo.
To date, there are a total of 1,200 globally renowned brands on the Nanjing Road W., nearly doubling the number of last year. Of these, 458 international brands are above average, .
Thanks to lower tariffs, international brands are now sellingcheaper on the Chinese mainland. For example, three years ago, Gucci commodities in Shanghai were 25 percent more expensive than in Hong Kong, while currently the prices are only 15 percent higher, said an industry analyst.
Shanghai and its neighboring areas, one of the country's richest regions, have become a shopping mecca that no international brands can ignore, the analyst stressed.
The establishment of a growing number of shopping malls on the Nanjing Road W. is also a main factor, he added.