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Consumers

Consumers
News about consumer spending and shifting shopping habits from around the world with a focus on developments in Hong Kong and mainland China.
People walk past a Uniqlo retail store inside a commercial shopping mall in Chongqing, southwest China. Photo: Getty Images
Hong Kong stock market

What tensions? Uniqlo is back in fashion in China despite Beijing-Tokyo dispute

The Japanese clothing brand saw its China sales recover over the past year despite ongoing political tensions and China’s consumer slowdown.

China consumption

China’s National Day holiday sees uptick in longer trips, overseas travel

China’s private sector

How Puma fits into Chinese sportswear maker Anta’s plan to unlock global growth

Electric & new energy vehicles

Renault’s plan to build Chinese EV motors in French town sparks job loss fears

As EU-China trade talks near, the Renault plant shows the hard reality of creating jobs in a shrinking industry, even with Chinese partners.

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Employees work on equipment for electric cars at a Renault factory in Cleon, northwestern France on October 2, 2026. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong property

Why Japanese, South Korean, Thai brands are setting up shop in Hong Kong again

Brands from the three overseas markets account for 36 per cent of new entrants, matching mainland Chinese retailers, amid tourism recovery.

China manufacturing

Chinese brands drive consumer 3D printer boom with ease of use, lower pricing

Shenzhen-based companies account for 90 per cent of the global consumer 3D printing market, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

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Sincere Co

Video | Sincere to close 126-year-old Central department store

Hong Kong’s oldest Chinese-owned department store looking for new venue after lease renewal fails.

Hong Kong’s oldest Chinese-owned department store looking for new venue after lease renewal fails
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Fashion

Q&A | Azeeza Khan on her CFDA win, South Asian craftsmanship and pairing Nikes with dresses

Style sits down with the Chicago-based creative, whose designs have been worn by stars like Barbra Streisand, Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez.

Hong Kong property

Wellcome operator DFI Retail launches public tender for upscale mall on The Peak

The 8,974 square feet Dairy Farm Guildford Road Shopping Centre will be sold via a public tender that closes at noon on November 19.

E-commerce

In Focus | Boxed in: how Temu’s global shopping revolution ran off the rails

Temu is quickly losing its shine in the face of a wave of global regulation. Can the platform reinvent itself?

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Illustration: Dennis Yip
Hong Kong society

Hotstone Yoga closure losses rise to HK$7.8 million as 694 customers file reports

Customs arrests 61-year-old director as investigation looks into whether unusual sales activity preceded the chain’s abrupt shutdown.

Hotstone Yoga announced on Wednesday that it would cease operations immediately. Photo: Silvia Siu
China trade

Russian exporters fight to win back Chinese buyers amid fallout over fake goods

Products falsely marketed as Russian are undercutting sales for legitimate exporters from the country, people in the industry say.

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China travel

‘No brainer’: growing trend of Chinese tourists booking business-class flights

Chinese holidaymakers are increasingly upgrading to ‘premium travel’ to make their well-earned leisure time more pleasurable, say insiders.

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Hong Kong economy

Consumer spending picks up in Hong Kong, with retail sales rising 5.6% in August

Sales in the first eight months of 2026 rise by 8.5 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The latest retail sales figures followed a 4.5 per cent increase in July. Photo: Edmond So
Singapore

What Singapore’s crackdown reveals about those 5-star online reviews

Experts warn that review ecosystems are constantly evolving and consumers should be more discerning about what they read online.

A screengrab shows the cost of fake review packages. Photo: Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore
United States

US jobless claims fall to lowest since mid-July

The American job market has remained sturdy despite higher energy prices.

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China manufacturing

Chinese start-up behind laser mosquito killer set to start shipping orders

Photon Matrix Lab says it expects to produce up to 5,000 devices a month initially, and then increase production capacity next year.

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India

India’s brutal monsoon plays havoc with harvests, raising fears of slow spending

Consumption typically takes a hit when rainfall is deficient, as weaker harvests mean less cash in farmers’ pockets.

A farmer spreads fertiliser on a paddy field in Karnal in the northern Indian state of Haryana on June 17. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

China carmakers eye record 12 million global sales in 2026 as EV demand surges

Buoyant overseas sales could also cushion against a weak domestic market, which slumped 20 per cent in the first eight months of the year.

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Smartphones

Apple leads China smartphone sales after launch of iPhone 18 Pro. Can it last?

Sales in the first three days were 12 per cent higher than the previous generation’s entire first week.

Japan

Shoppers rejoice, farmers fume as Japan’s rice crisis turns into a surplus

‘I’ve been hearing about quite a few people who plan to give up this year,’ a rice grower says amid excess supply and falling prices.

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A customer buys a bag of government-stockpiled rice at a convenience store in Tokyo, Japan, last year. Photo: AFP
China's economic recovery

China asks local governments to ‘intensify’ policy tweaks to boost consumption

Premier Li Qiang calls for more policy experimentation as retail sales remain weak, rising by just 0.4 per cent in August.

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People walk on the North Bund with Shanghai’s Lujiazui financial district in the background. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Malaysia’s durian revolution powered by perfumes, pastries and big plans

Last year, China imported 1.87 million tonnes of fresh durian worth US$7.5 billion, with volume jumping over sixfold in the past decade.

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China consumption

As Chinese retirees boost consumption, some hope for greater respect in society

Age bias is an obstacle to the growth of China’s silver economy, researchers say.

Alibaba

China’s answer to Google Maps now tells you where local taxi drivers eat lunch

Amap is harnessing AI to offer an array of new features, from 3D maps of indoor spaces to hyper-specific restaurant recommendations.

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Alibaba Group Holding’s Amap navigation app has nearly 1 billion monthly users. Photo: Handout
China travel

Before Apec meeting, China’s mobile-payment overhaul is helping foreigners spend

Smartphone apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay now link foreign cards and wallets, easing a cashless barrier that has long frustrated international visitors.

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Foreign tourists handle their smartphones while buying tickets for a performance at a theatre in China’s Chongqing municipality last month. Photo: Xinhua
China consumption

Mooncakes for the dog? How China is reinventing its iconic festive snack

China’s consumers appear to be going off the dense Mid-Autumn Festival treat, but tiny mooncakes for pets are a different story.

Mainland China

Blue Bottle bets that premium coffee has room to grow in China

US brand, recently sold by Nestlé to Chinese capital firm, will need to offer unique experiences and ‘new taste combinations’, analyst says.

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