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Cannix Yau

Hong Kong’s retail sales continued to improve in August, accelerating by 3.8 per cent year on year and for the fourth month in a row, as the city’s mega-event tourism drive provided a boost to consumer sentiment.
Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Thursday showed sales reached HK$30.3 billion (US$3.9 billion) in August, the fourth month in a row of growth following 14 consecutive months of decline.
The growth was the sharpest since December 2023 when it jumped by 7.8 per cent
In July, retail sales rose by a revised 1.8 per cent to HK$29.7 billion.
A government spokesman said the continued growth in retail sales reflected stabilising local consumer sentiment buoyed by inbound tourism and the mega-events drive.
“The stabilising local consumer sentiment, coupled with sustained growth in inbound visitors and the government’s proactive efforts in promoting tourism and mega-events, should render support to retail businesses,” he said.




According to official statistics, the city recorded 5.15 million visitors in August, an increase of 16 per cent over July’s number. The latest figure broke the post-pandemic monthly record of 4.7 million visitors set in January this year.
Hong Kong welcomed 33 million visitors in the first eight months of 2025, a 12 per cent increase over the same period last year.
Annie Tse Yau On-yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, said the 3.8 per cent growth in August indicated a stabilised outlook for the industry but it had yet to reach a stage of recovery.
“Retailers have started to express confidence in the outlook, which is a good sign and shows that the decline in retail sales has stabilised,” she said.
Retail sales contracted by 1.9 per cent in the first eight months of this year compared with the same period in 2024.
Notably, the online segment accounted for 8.4 per cent of sales in August.

The value of online retail sales, provisionally estimated at HK$2.6 billion, was up by 8.9 per cent compared with the same month in 2024.
By category, sales of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts performed the best with a 16.4 per cent growth in value, followed by a 14.2 per cent increase in other consumer goods not elsewhere classified.
But sales of fuels dropped by 11.4 per cent, followed by a contraction of 3.9 per cent for furniture and fixtures and a decrease of 3.6 per cent in food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco.
Consumption is expected to improve further in October with the return of mainland Chinese visitors over the eight-day “golden week” holiday marking National Day.
The number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong jumped by 5 per cent to 232,751 on Wednesday year on year, official statistics showed.
Bond Law, executive director at the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, said 82 per cent of surveyed companies held an optimistic view of sales over the holiday.
They expected their business to remain steady or grow by single to low double digits, with jewellery and watch shops, as well as cosmetics retailers, supported by the wedding and festive season and increased tourist arrivals, Law said.
Retail sector lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai said that the footfall across the city was strong, especially in the tourist areas, driven not only by visitors but also by residents who worked on the mainland and had returned home, boosting demand for food, dining, cosmetics, skincare and luxury goods.
“We are seeing quite a lot of tourists queuing to shop in Tsim Sha Tsui for branded luxury items,” he said.
“Hong Kong has an advantage in that it has a large concentration of brands and their stock often includes newer items. Our tax-free status adds to the benefit [of shopping] here.”
Meanwhile, the government’s move to subsidise 50 per cent of the cost of cinema tickets to celebrate National Day yielded 153,647 visits to 52 theatres and box office revenue of HK$6.38 million.
Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said both tour groups and independent travellers flocked to popular areas such as Tsim Sha Tsui, adding that busy open-top sightseeing buses and packed restaurants signalled a high demand for experiences on the first day of the eight-day holiday.
“The mainland golden week holiday has just started and some travellers chose multi-stop itineraries,” Chui told a radio programme. “Some people flew to Shenzhen or Guangzhou to spend a day before arriving in Hong Kong. I believe more of them will come [on Thursday].”
While nearby Shenzhen day trippers accounted for many of the 232,000 first-day arrivals, the high-speed rail station was also bringing in a large contingent of long-haul guests from provinces such as Hunan and Hubei, he noted.
“They are expected to stay for at least one or two nights and drive greater spending,” he said.
Regarding concerns that some visitors were discouraged by relatively high hotel prices and that budget travellers chose to return to Shenzhen for accommodation, Chui said that rates at top-tier hotels on both sides of Victoria Harbour were only 5 to 10 per cent higher than usual.


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Hong Kong’s retail sales rise by 3.8% in August, helped by tourism

Consumption is expected to improve further in October with the return of mainland Chinese visitors over the eight-day “golden week” holiday. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong welcomed 33 million visitors in the first eight months of 2025. Photo: Nora Tam

Hong Kong’s Paul Chan banks on better market sentiment as retail sector stabilises

The city’s provisional retail sales figure for July was 1.8 per cent higher than the same month last year. Photo: Sam Tsang

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A government spokesman has said that “local consumption sentiment should remain steady”. Photo: Sam Tsang

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Economy

Sales reached HK$30.3 billion in August, fourth month in row of growth following 14 consecutive months of decline


Sales reached HK$30.3 billion in August, fourth month in row of growth following 14 consecutive months of decline.


Retailing

Tourism

Golden week