The Leeds shopping centre helping international students feel at home

A 1960s shopping centre in the middle of Leeds may not seem the most obvious place for a cultural revolution.

But when a Taiwanese dessert parlour opened earlier this year it kickstarted a transformation that brought a flavour of East Asia to West Yorkshire and helped create a home from home for many international students.

Meet Fresh is not a well known brand in the UK, but when a new branch opened in Leeds’ Merrion Centre in February the queues snaked out the door.

For many of those waiting patiently in line its arrival signalled the chance for a bit of home comfort.

The restaurant is famous for its taro ball desserts, grass jelly and shaved ice – treats not normally found on the menu in Yorkshire, but a popular treat for many in Taiwan and surrounding countries.

“Some of our customers pass by and say, ‘oh, Meet Fresh is here, like at home’,” manager Cherry Cheung says.

Originally from Hong Kong, Cherry came to the UK with her husband, Hess, to open the new branch.

And, like the Cheungs, many of their customers are also from overseas, with a large portion of their clientele international students studying in the city.

In recent years the number of students at the University of Leeds coming from China alone has more than doubled, to more than 5,500.

“Because this brand is from Taiwan, most of our customers are international students,” Cherry says.

“I’m actually very happy to see them, that they feel at home and that they can have their home food again.”

Meet Fresh is just one of a number of Asian-inspired businesses that have opened in the Merrion Centre.

And, shopping centre bosses have been quick to learn from their tenants, taking a leaf out of their book and using Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu – or Little Red Book – to help market the precinct.

“There’s been a lot of redevelopment within our immediate catchment area over the last few years and we’ve seen an abundance of student accommodation around us,” says James Broughton, head of marketing and communications at the Merrion Centre.

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

According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) the nearby University of Leeds attracted 5,530 students from China in the 2022/23 academic year, up from 2,605 in 2017/18.

“Because a lot of our tenants are utilising Little Red Book we thought there was an opportunity there,” said Mr Broughton.

Xiaohongshu, has been described as China’s Instagram for e-commerce and is mostly used by young, urban Chinese women.

The shopping centre now has a social media role dedicated to making videos for the platform.

Mr Boughton adds: “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.”

Traditional high street names now share the centre with bubble tea shops, a noodle bar and a Korean barbecue restaurant.

Cathy, works at the Sing Kee supermarket, one of the first businesses to move in and said the promotion on Little Red Book was proving successful.

“For the Asian students, we have some colleagues that can speak Japanese, they also can speak Korean or Cantonese so they can chat with them,” she tells me.

“They feel just like home.”

“Since last week I’ve noticed three times the amount of students come – really busy. Sometimes we just go out of stock.”

Another business which has opened specifically to target the Asian market is Gordon Sung’s hair salon.

“We’ve become popular because the Chinese are looking for an Asian hair stylist,” says Mr Sung, adding that the salon’s decor has been specifically chosen to make it “feel like home” for students.

According to the HESA, the largest groups of students arriving in Leeds from East Asia come from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Tyler Lou, 20, is a second year international student from China, who has come to Leeds to study education.

She says arriving in a new city thousands of miles from home was “scary” for the first week, but it now felt like home.

“Compared to other cities in the UK I think Leeds is more lively,” she said.

Ms Lou adds: “I want to stay here, but I have to find a job.

“My friends all want to go back to China – they don’t like the food here.”

Duncun, 21, from Malaysia, describes being in Leeds as a “very excellent experience”.

The third year law student says: “Most of my friends studied here already. I think that’s the main reason I came here.”

18-year-old Cooper only arrived in Leeds the day before she spoke to ume – the first time she had travelled far away from her hometown in China.

“I heard the lifestyle in Leeds is very chill and very relaxed,” she says.

“I love it here so far.”

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