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Retailing

Retailing
Latest news and features on retailing with a particular focus on Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia, covering consumer goods and services, retail strategies, shopping habits, sales results and trends.
City’super’s Amazing Food Hall is located next to its supermarket at Times Square. Photo: Nora Tam
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong high-end supermarket chain City’super to shut its last food court

Amazing Food Hall in Causeway Bay’s Times Square will be closed from next Monday.

New Openings

Hong Kong’s new openings, from a Japanese bar to a pastry pop-up

Apple

Apple joins China’s subsidy scheme to lift sales amid heated local competition

Hong Kong company reporting season

Hong Kong drink maker Vitasoy’s profit doubles to US$30 million on China demand

Company proposes final dividend of 10.2 Hong Kong cents per share, taking total payout for the year to 14.2 Hong Kong cents.

Vitasoy has introduced a low-sugar peach soy milk and Ya Shi Xiang Lemon tea in Hong Kong this year. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
Mergers & Acquisitions

Starbucks denies it is considering a full sale of its China operations

‘We see significant long-term potential … and are evaluating the best ways to capture the future growth opportunities,’ coffee chain says.

Banking & finance

With The Monsters, Monkey King and Ne Zha, China IP businesses brace for growth

China’s IP sales are projected to grow at an annual rate of 17.2 per cent through 2029 after reaching US$1 billion in 2024, CICC says.

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Artificial intelligence

Yum China rolls out AI agent, to help, not replace store managers

Aiming to help frontline managers with tasks such as scheduling and inventory management, system aligns with industry’s wider AI push.

Yum China’s CEO Joey Wat (centre) and other executives announce the AI tool at the company’s inaugural AI Day event in Shanghai. Photo: Handout
Icons and Influencers

Meet Aimee Smale, the founder of affordable luxury clothing brand Odd Muse

Odd Muse made its London Fashion Week debut in 2023 and its Essex-native founder landed on the Forbes 30 under 30 list – the brand now has 2 stores in Covent Garden and New York City’s SoHo.

Banking & finance

World’s most valuable toymaker loses glow in People’s Daily warning

The People’s Daily newspaper ran a commentary that railed against the ‘wilful consumerism’ of so-called blind boxes.

Mobile payments

Ant Group pushes wider adoption of AI-enabled smart glasses for mobile payments

The first such payment outside mainland China was recently completed in Hong Kong, using the AlipayHK app and Meizu’s StarV smart glasses.

With mobile payments functionality, AI-powered smart glasses are expected to see increased adoption worldwide. Photo: Handout
E-commerce

China subsidies give Alibaba, JD.com sales lift during 618 shopping festival

The Chinese e-commerce giants again withheld total gross merchandise value figures, continuing a trend in recent years amid a maturing market.

More than 453 brands each surpassed 100 million yuan in gross merchandise value on Taobao and Tmall during this year’s 618 shopping festival. Photo: Shutterstock
JD.com

JD.com founder bets on stablecoins to cut cross-border e-commerce payment costs

‘JD.com intends to secure stablecoin licences across key currency markets globally,’ founder and chairman Richard Liu says.

China’s economic stimulus

China plots course to boost yuan versus dominant dollar

Eight financial reforms announced by the central bank chief are the latest efforts to boost the currency’s role abroad, stabilise markets and shore up the economy.

Banking & finance

China’s consumer-goods spending improves as deflation eases, Bain says

The outlook for 2025 is still unclear because of an ongoing consumption downgrade and changes in spending patterns.

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A customer shops for eggs at a supermarket in Handan City, Hebei province on June 9, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
China economy

Editorial | China welcomes rise in consumption but long way to go yet

Retail sales jumped to boost economy in May thanks to slew of government incentives and subsidies that need to continue during costly US trade war.

People shop in a supermarket in Beijing, China on May 19, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong property

Michelin-listed Ancient Moon shuts during Hong Kong’s dining upheaval

The last day of operation of Ancient Moon in North Point is on July 19, according to its Instagram post.

China's economic recovery

China’s economy weathers US tariff storm in May as consumption picks up

The trade war continued to weigh on China’s manufacturing and exports in May, but retail sales gained momentum.

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Artificial intelligence

How a Chinese AI start-up helps Nike, Gap, Urban Revivo predict fashion trends

Hangzhou Zhiyi Technology’s operations reflect how AI adoption in mainland China is expanding and transforming various industries.

Hangzhou Zhiyi Technology provides clients with data-driven analysis of fashion market trends, based on style and sales data gathered from major shopping and social-media sites. Photo: Shutterstock
Commodities

Crypto can’t chip away at gold’s safe-haven shield: gold researcher

Spot gold price surged to US$3,444 after Israel’s strikes on Iran.

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China consumption

China’s top baijiu maker faces sobering reality as austerity trims profits

Guidelines restricting spending by officials are trimming profits for one of China’s strongest brands – but there’s little the company can do.

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Hong Kong economy

WeChat Pay records fourfold rise in mainland tourist taxi payments in Hong Kong

Tencent executive also says more than 20,000 taxi drivers in city now accept both local WeChat Pay HK accounts and the mainland version.

WeChat Pay Hong Kong has been offering taxi drivers perks such as zero handling fees. Photo: Edward Wong
Artificial intelligence

ByteDance helps jewellery firm Lao Feng Xiang push AI glasses to China’s elderly

The jewellery firm’s foray into the wearables market reflects a surge of fresh interest in smart eyewear with AI-powered capabilities.

Powered by ByteDance’s artificial intelligence technology, Lao Feng Xiang’s smart glasses feature real-time voice navigation and translation functions. Photo: Handout
Nintendo

Nintendo’s new Switch 2 console breaks a sales record in first 4 days

Sales for the latest hardware release by Japanese games giant Nintendo have met expectations, despite the hefty price tag.

Apple

Apple’s most sweeping software redesign disappoints mainland Chinese consumers

The hashtag ‘iOS26 Ugly’ was microblogging app Weibo’s top-trending topic on Tuesday, as thousands of netizens expressed their discontent.

Banking & finance

Labubu becomes bait for China’s Ping An Bank to lure young customers

Tactic draws attention of regulators as retail banks on the mainland struggle to attract young customers, analysts say.

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A shopper reaches for a Labubu doll at Popland, a theme park opened by Chinese toy company Pop Mart, in Beijing, on June 2, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE
John Lee

Exclusive | Hong Kong’s retail sector is struggling but people will have to adapt: John Lee

Chief Executive John Lee urges businesses to ‘work harder’ in response to market changes.

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Hong Kong’s retail sales dropped for a 14th consecutive month in April, falling by 2.3 per cent, year on year, to HK$28.9 billion. Photo: Edmond So
China manufacturing

Baijiu blues and plum pickings: tastes of China’s Gen Z rewrite liquor industry

Young Chinese are driving a shift from the traditional white spirit to fruity, lower-alcohol beverages, in a sign of as evolving lifestyles.

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Beauty

Thai beauty is taking off – and Cathy Doll’s owner Karmart is its star

Wongwiwat and Pongwiwat Theekhakhirikul discuss starting as a family business, Trump tariffs, and offering premium products.

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