How Leeds Merrion Centre is helping international students feel at home through its stores

The Merrion Centre, a shopping centre in Leeds that opened in the 1960s, has become a growing hub for Asian-inspired businesses helping international students feel at home.

The opening of a Taiwanese dessert parlour earlier this year has been part of a wider transformation introducing East Asian culinary delights to West Yorkshire.

The Asian-inspired restaurants and cafes have created a welcoming space for international students, with the dessert parlour, Meet Fresh, providing a sense of home comfort, the BBC reports.

Having opened earlier this year, the owners, Cherry Cheung and Jess Cheung, travelled from Hong Kong to set the parlour up in Leeds. 

Hess Cheung said: “We aim to offer a true taste of Taiwan.”

Meet Fresh showcases the richness of Taiwanese culture with its renowned shaved ice, grass jelly and a wide selection of delicious beverages.

With Meet Fresh boasting such popularity amongst international students, Cherry Cheung said: “I’m actually very happy to see them, that they feel at home and that they can have their home food again.”

Alongside the dessert parlour, Sing Kee Supermarket and Gordon Sung’s Hair Salon have also been providing a sense of home for Asian students, with decor choices that provide a rich cultural experience.

There has been a rise in international students at the University of Leeds in recent years. The majority of East Asian students tend to come from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and China, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, with the uptake of students at the University of Leeds coming from China alone more than doubling, from 2,605 in 2017/18 to 5,530 students in the 2022/23 academic year.

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James Boughton, head of marketing and communications at the Merrion Centre, said that redevelopments within the immediate vicinity of the shopping centre mean there’s been a recent rise in the number of student accommodation buildings. 

He added: “Part of that is the international students – they are a core part of our business.”

James also explained how the use of Xiaohongshu/Little Red Book, a social media platform mostly used by young Chinese women, has been incorporated as a marketing strategy. 

Xiaohongshu has been described as China’s version of Instagram for e-commerce. The Merrion Centre now has a social media role dedicated to making videos for the platform.

James added: “Meet Fresh and some of our more Asian-inspired brands that are well known overseas have transformed the Merrion Centre and our customer base.

“We have got plans to keep evolving the centre, keep it refreshed, keep it up to date and keep it relevant for the changing audience.”

Featured image via TikTok