The Middle Ring Road Business and Trade Area in Putuo District plans to attract 300 to 500 e-commerce companies and build two to three public service platforms for e-commerce companies, Putuo Times reported.

The newspaper also reported that the business and trade district will see the establishment of one to two research and development facilities.

Altogether, such plans are expected to create 30,000 to 50,000 jobs and generate up to 50 billion yuan (US$8 billion) in operating revenue.

In Shanghai, Putuo ranks third in terms of operating revenue from commercial sales and second in terms of total consumer good sales.

Sales in the Middle Ring Road commercial area rose 5.3 percent last year, the third highest rate of increase among the city’s municipal level commercial areas.

The business and trade district is home to both traditional commercial and e-commerce businesses as well as enterprises with new types of integrated business models — such as offline-to-online shops. Bailian Central Shopping Plaza, for example, offers mobile Internet-based services to consumers. Red Star Macalline and NGS Supermarket Group have built online platforms as well.

The local government also has a five-year plan covering various aspects of organization, environment improvement, resources integration, public service platform construction, support systems, as well as funding, policies and talents.