Ingka Centres opened its new commercial complex, Livat Shanghai, in Changning district on Sept 26. The complex features a 21,620-square-meter IKEA store, over 200,000-square-meter commercial space, and a collection of five Grade-A office buildings.

At the opening ceremony, Cindy Andersen, managing director of Ingka Centres, was granted a comprehensive business permit by Lu Hao, deputy district head of Changning. The permit is the first of its kind issued to a wholly foreign-owned shopping center operator in the country.

The business permit not only integrates multiple regulatory approvals, including hygiene certification for public spaces, permission for the usage of public gathering areas, and pre-operational fire safety inspections, but also encompasses the entire process from the commencement of building construction to completion and multi-departmental joint inspections, according to Zhang Yiyi, deputy director of the district government office.

In recent years, Changning has been devoted to optimizing its business environment and streamlining its approval process. Noteworthy efforts include expanding its "one integrated license" reform to cover 39 business categories, an increase from the original 25, said Zhang.

It has also launched the city's first district-level online "one integrated license" special platform, which combines an application portal, rule-based operation guidelines, and a policy toolkit from both city and district levels, providing convenience for enterprises, added Zhang.

Source: shobserver.com