In Nie Zhenbang's view, the department stores of this era were merely in their infancy. They can't be compared with the super and large-scale department stores of the future, let alone those gigantic department stores with hundreds of thousands to millions of square meters of retail space. Seeing the puzzled expressions on Yang Anbang and Xiao Yali's faces, Nie Zhenbang felt a sense of enlightening them. He explained, "These are not real department stores. In my vision, our department store should not only carry clothes, shoes, hats, toys, and the like. It ought to be a comprehensive shopping mall that combines clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. Moreover, our department store should differentiate itself from the prevalent mass-market malls. We need to aim for an upscale route."
It was a new term. Xiao Yali was confused, but Yang Anbang seemed thoughtful.