Photo/Shetuwang

Jan. 3 (NBD) – For Mr. Zhang, a Beijing-based freelancer who often works till early in the morning, finding a public space to write and ordering food at night has always been a headache. 

Cafés usually close at 10 p.m., and the food you can order around midnight is mostly unhealthy types like fried chickens and barbeques, said Mr. Zhang. 

Mr. Zhang is one of a considerable amount of consumers who have night-time work and entertainment demands, and the city of Beijing is taking measures to address their complaints.

Yan Ligang, director-general of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, revealed recently that boosting night-time economy has become a key task for the city in 2019, and the Bureau will support the opening of more 24-hour convenience stores, encourage qualified shopping malls, supermarkets and stores to extend business hours to further develop the "midnight food store" program.

The academic consensus holds that the term night-time economy refers to economic and cultural activities occurring from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. of the next day that include shopping, dining, study, cinema, and other entertainment.

Beijing's night-time consumption lags behind other metropolitans in China, though the nation's capital boasts diverse cultures, concentration of young consumers, and high average income.

Beijing ranks the sixth in terms of late night food orders, lower than southern cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou, even though the city has the longest working hours in China, data from location-based services provider AutoNavi shows.

Besides, Beijing ranks the seventh in terms of the number of convenience stores and the proportion of 24-hour convenience stores in 2018, according to a report released by the China Chain Store & Franchise Association.

However, business owners have their concerns. Mr. Mao, who owns several Japanese restaurants in Beijing, told news outlet Yicai that the key issue of running business at late night is the high cost of labor. Night-time consumption, though considerable, is not comparable to that of daytime, but he has to pay the same salary for workers of the night shift.

If certain blocks were specifically set as night-time consumption regions, the concentration would be good for business, suggested Mao.

In May 2018, the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau introduced a "midnight food store" program to financially support blocks and shopping districts specializing in food services, granting qualified blocks up to 5 million yuan (728,533.8 U.S. dollars), shopping districts up to 3 million yuan (437,120.3 U.S. dollars), and restaurants up to 100,000 yuan (14570.7 U.S. dollars).

Yan Ligang thinks that apart from increasing sales, night-time services can help business owners build a more intimate relationship with consumers.

Convenience stores, for example, will become places that provide multiple services. Japanese convenience stores have found that if you don't open for business at night, consumers of the daytime would decrease, said Yan.

Sanlian Taofen Bookstore started 24-hour service four and a half years ago. General manager Hao Dachao told Yicai that the number of readers between 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. of the next morning amounts to one third of that of a whole day, and sales in the night shift one fourth. The 24-hour bookstore has become a cultural landmark of Beijing.

Email: limenglin@nbd.com.cn