Greenland Commodities, a spinoff of Shanghai-headquartered multi-business conglomerate Greenland Group, broke ground on its East China Imports Operation Center in SIP on Dec 18. The project has a land area of 67,560 square meters and a total floor space of 80,958 square meters and is scheduled to complete and come into service in 2020.

The center reportedly will boast integrated functions for procurement, warehousing, marketing and delivery of imports from around the globe. Relying on the Global Commodity Trading Hub, a commodity exhibition and trading complex that Greenland runs in Shanghai, it is expected to help import more high-quality overseas products into the country.

According to Xue Yingjie, general manager of Greenland Commodities, the project is one of the group's serial efforts to better meet Chinese consumers' demands for imported products and drive reform and upgrading in related retail and logistics modes.

"The center targets not only the East China market but also other inland cities outside the region," Xue said.