Hong Kong’s May retail sales up 2.4%, ending 14-month contraction

Provisional figures from Census and Statistics Department show total retail sales in May reached HK$31.3 billion

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The figure represents the first time sales have grown since February 2024. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 5:23pm, 2 Jul 2025Updated: 10:14pm, 2 Jul 2025

Hong Kong’s retail sales in May jumped by 2.4 per cent year on year, reversing a 14-month contraction, with the uptick boosted by a surge in visitors during mainland China’s Labour Day “golden week” holiday.

Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Wednesday showed total retail sales in May reached HK$31.3 billion (US$3.9 billion).

The figure represents the first time sales have grown since February 2024, when the city recorded an increase of 1.9 per cent year on year.

Annie Tse Yau On-yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, said the city’s past retail slump had stabilised and attributed the improvement to a lower base of comparison given last year’s performance.

“It is a positive sign. At least it shows that the retail performance has stabilised, and the industry just needs some time to recover,” she said.

The growth in retail sales came after 1.1 million people visited Hong Kong during the mainland’s five-day Labour Day break in early May, a rise of 22 per cent from last year – exceeding the government’s original estimate of 10 per cent.

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