What’s behind Hong Kong’s retro display craze sweeping supermarkets, shops and stations?

A Hong Kong fixture since 1945 and with more than 320 outlets across the city today, supermarket chain Wellcome is synonymous with practicality. It is therefore one of the last places one might expect to become a tourist attraction. Recently, one branch in the Kowloon neighbourhood of Yau Ma Tei has transformed into a photo hotspot, largely thanks to its vibrant in-store tribute to the city’s “golden era” from the 1950s to the 1970s. Upon entering, customers pass through a “time tunnel” in the form of a silver-and-green turnstile before stepping onto classically patterned tiles. The air is heavy with nostalgia, from glass bottles of Vitasoy to the old-style telephone and retro television display. This particular branch is located opposite the Old Yau Ma Tei Police Station, a Grade II historic building that is also a popular photo spot among tourists for being featured in various Hong Kong films. For Gen Z travellers, many of whom discover these locations via Instagram and TikTok, they get to make a tangible connection to a city they may only know from the screen. “Nostalgia taps into cultural pride,” says Irene Man, marketing director of Wellcome’s parent company, DFI Retail Group. “People want to understand the soul of a place.” This fascination is about more than just aesthetics – it reflects a reappraisal of a period that many consider Hong Kong’s cultural heyday. “This store allows people to reconnect with Hong Kong’s past, and it also ties back to Wellcome’s own rich heritage and cultural roots,” Man says. The Wellcome installation is the latest example of a wider retro zeitgeist sweeping through the city. Earlier this year, the MTR Corporation tapped into the same throwback trend by erecting “slice of life” installations in several Hong Kong train stations. At Nam Cheong station, commuters are greeted by a replica of an old-style snacks stall; Sai Ying Pun station houses a replica of a vintage Shanghainese barbershop. Hong Kong station pays homage to the city’s golden age of cinema with a retro theatre facade along with a traditional cha chaan teng cafe, while Shau Kei Wan station showcases a traditional watch repair shop. Even cross-border travellers at Lok Ma Chau are met with the nostalgic sight of an old-school herbal tea shop, complete with ceramic bowls and brass fittings. And at Hong Kong International Airport sits a streetscape exhibition of 1970s Hong Kong. The display, which was created in partnership with McDonald’s, includes a pharmacy, an electrical shop, boutiques and a replica of Hong Kong’s very first branch of the fast food chain. For those who lived through the era being recreated, these installations provide access to shared memories. For those who did not, they give portals – and photo backdrops – to a time they can only imagine. For Hong Kong artists like Lam Ka-hang, who specialises in making old-school movie posters and was commissioned to create original pieces for the throwback display at the Yau Ma Tei Wellcome branch, the visual language of Hong Kong’s golden age is still relevant, something that he attributes to “a world that is moving too fast”. “There are so many new styles every day. Maybe that is why people are holding on to the past, because it will not change like everything else,” he says. Lam says his retro depictions, oversaturated with electric reds and deep ambers on gritty paper, are rooted in an old-school depiction of the city. “I loved watching Hong Kong films when I was little. I can recite the dialogue from Stephen Chow’s films backwards; I’ve been watching them since I was a baby in my cot,” he says. “I don’t really know what makes that vibe ‘genuinely vintage’, but I would describe it as maybe having that warmth that is so hard to find.” Lam uses this warmth in deliberate contrast to the minimalist aesthetics that dominated his own design education. He says that he was scolded endlessly by his teachers, who tended to prefer “neat styles” that failed to bring the same life as the ones Lam found in vintage, ornate designs. In an era of rapid AI advancement, these familiar, grounded, analogue experiences are becoming more scarce. As algorithms increasingly dictate the music we listen to and deepfakes blur the lines between fantasy and reality, there is a growing hunger for physical things that can be held or felt. They represent authenticity in a world where everything is instant, editable and often ephemeral. They offer a moment of pause, a connection to craft and imperfection that stands in quiet defiance of the digital sheen that coats modern life. Beyond retail, there has been a surge in retro-themed initiatives across Hong Kong in recent months. Louis Koo’s nostalgia-fuelled film Back to the Past, a sequel to the classic 2001 TVB series A Step into the Past, broke box-office records upon its release in late 2025. The film reunited original cast members after 25 years, tapping directly into the collective memory of television’s golden age. At Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun heritage and arts centre, the “InnerGlow 2026” projection spectacle, which ran until February 22, transformed the historic facades of the former prison complex into a “kaleidoscopic neon dreamscape”, recreating Hong Kong’s disco golden age with real-time audience participation. Meanwhile, the “Vintage Hong Kong” event, held earlier this month at Youth Square in Chai Wan, brought together hundreds of young people through fashion shows, food workshops and immersive exhibitions. For Lam, taking part in projects like these is about more than commercial work. It is a way of giving back to the city that shaped his sensibilities. “Honestly, it’s not even really about preserving old styles or educating new generations,” he says. “I think it’s as simple as giving everyone back a feeling, a happy glow that can only be found during that period.”

What’s behind Hong Kong’s retro display craze sweeping supermarkets, shops and stations?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The transformation of a Wellcome supermarket branch into a viral photo hotspot highlights a growing nostalgia trend engulfing the city

The transformation of a Wellcome supermarket branch into a viral photo hotspot highlights a growing nostalgia trend engulfing the city