A TOTAL of 16 foreign-funded projects have been launched in the city this year. The projects, including a supermarket project by AEON from Japan and a department store project, are confirmed to open, while a shopping mall project is about to start operation. Another two supermarket projects on Hefei Road and in Metro Development Zone have already started construction, while several Vanguard supermarkets are expected to open in June and September. Meanwhile, the city’s first IKEA store is now choosing a location, while KFC plans to open 50 to 60 branches in the city. (Wang Yuanyuan, He Jun) | 