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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.
Agape Garden’s old premises have been left vacant since the restaurant closed down last July. Photo: Emily Hung
Hong Kong society

Hong Kong enterprise for needy unable to set up new shop after government error

Tender exercise cancelled after erroneous power supply details sent to bidders by Housing Authority, leaving Agape Garden in limbo.

Fashion

In conversation: Bohan Qiu and Ian Hylton on Chinese luxury fashion

Fashion

Q&A | Thailand’s Gentlewoman: viral totes and Covid resilience

Hong Kong property

How Hong Kong’s headquarters economy fuels rebound in commercial property

The headquarters economy is powering office and retail recovery, with rising demand, stabilising rents and renewed investor confidence.

The city’s office market showed signs of stability in 2025. Photo: SCMP
China’s private sector

China’s Year of the Horse shoppers let emotional satisfaction take the reins

Brand prestige fades in importance as consumers favour festival-themed toys, playful designs and pet items.

Consumers

How Chinese consumers’ changing demands are keeping KFC’s owner on its toes

Yum China CEO Joey Wat banks on fast-food firm’s flexible store format and cheaper products to attract more Chinese consumers.

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Fashion

Hong Kong’s indie fashion labels bloom at new Tsim Sha Tsui pop-up

Chance Encounters is a pop-up run by the brands YanYan, Aenrmous and Kinyan Lam that aims to elevate Hong Kong’s indie fashion scene.

YanYan Knits founders Phyllis Chan (left) and Suzzie Chung are pictured at Chance Encounters, a collaborative, evolving Hong Kong indie fashion pop-up in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong recalls Aptamil baby milk formula batch over toxin contamination fears

Centre for Food Safety says a local retailer sold a small quantity of the formula batch suspected to contain cereulide.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s retail sales edge up 1% in 2025 after 7.3% decline in 2024

Census and Statistics Department says retail sales for December worth HK$35 billion, and provisionally estimated at HK$380.5 billion for 2025.

China GDP

China’s financial powerhouse Shanghai aims for 5% growth, ‘global influence’

Chinese megacity ranks in the world’s five most powerful metros after New York, Tokyo and Los Angeles, with a GDP of 5.67 trillion yuan.

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People walk at the Bund by the Huangpu river with skyscrapers of the Lujiazui financial district in the background, in Shanghai. Photo: Reuters
Sweden

Multinationals race into China’s US$143.9 billion instant retail market

Ikea, Continental and Aldi Nord enlist local partners to launch faster, more comprehensive delivery services than they offer abroad.

Meituan delivery riders gather during a break in a commercial district in Chongqing, China, on November 21, 2025. Photo: Getty Images
Pop Mart

Labubu toymaker Pop Mart picks London as European headquarters in overseas push

CEO Wang Ning reveals firm’s latest expansion plan at Friday’s closed-door meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

E-commerce

China slaps US$3.7 million fine on Kuaishou for live-streaming e-commerce breach

The penalty reflects a broader regulatory crackdown on content and operations deemed undesirable or harmful on Chinese online platforms.

China economy

Video | Scuffles break out at Ikea clearance sale in China

Furniture retailer to focus on targeted growth in key cities, with plans to open 10 small-format outlets over two years.

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China GDP

Tale of 2 megacities: how did Beijing, Shanghai GDPs surpass 5 trillion yuan?

China’s two largest cities are outpacing national growth rates, each generating gross domestic products equal to a small European country.

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People hang out at The Bund as the financial district of Pudong is seen in the background in Shanghai, China. The GDPs of Beijing and Shanghai have now exceeded 5 trillion yuan and both cities are comparable to European countries Sweden and Belgium. Photo: Reuters
United States

Amazon cuts 16,000 jobs amid AI shift, post-pandemic restructuring

The restructuring and cost-cutting come despite soaring profits and strategic hiring in key areas.

Luxury in China

As LVMH returns to growth, is the slump in China’s luxury market finally over?

LVMH saw its sales in China rise in the second half of 2025, as the vast Chinese luxury market shows signs of recovery.

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Mergers & Acquisitions

China’s Anta snags Puma from France’s Pinault family in US$1.8 billion deal

China’s largest sportswear firm is acquiring 29 per cent to become Puma’s biggest shareholder while strengthening its global expansion.

The acquisition of Puma will accelerate Anta’s multi-brand globalisation strategy, according to the Chinese sportswear brand. Photo: Reuters
China's economic recovery

China’s manufacturing powerhouse cuts 2026 GDP growth target after missing mark

Guangdong province, an industrial behemoth hit by property and global headwinds, shifts focus in a strategic pivot amid national reforms.

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Mainland China

China needs silver and young spenders, plus policy support, for growth: HSBC

Longest Lunar New Year holiday ever will provide a tailwind, but growth could falter without more supportive measures, analysts say.

US-China trade war

At America’s biggest retail show, the China question never really goes away

Tariffs may ebb and supply chains may detour, but US shoppers – and giants like Walmart and Amazon – still rely heavily on Chinese goods.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-Kuen
Apple

Apple cuts prices for Lunar New Year as competition heats up in mainland China

Apple offers discounts on iPhones, MacBook and other products – its second promotion in a month ahead of the holiday.

Apple led the smartphone market in mainland China with a 22 per cent share in the fourth quarter of 2025. Photo: AFP
Fashion

How next-gen brands are blending luxury with sportswear

Functional shouldn’t mean unfashionable – as new sportswear brands like Literary Sport, Johanna Parv and Spence are demonstrating.

Hong Kong stock market

Labubu maker Pop Mart surges after buy-back in show of confidence

Repurchase signals management’s confidence and healthy balance sheet, analysts say, though stock remains 40 per cent below last year’s peak.

Singapore

Singapore’s retail ownership data sparks debate about foreign chains’ influence

Some observers warn that public perception could be warped since popular foreign chains in places with high footfall may be more visible.

Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping belt. Photo: Singapore Tourism Board
China GDP

China’s two-speed economy faces tough 2026 as growth cools

Lost momentum, weak domestic demand and high yardsticks point to a challenging year ahead for the Chinese economy.

Photo: AFP
Hong Kong courts

Hong Kong’s Taipan bakery told to wind up, Ocean Empire boss declared bankrupt

Separate court rulings highlight struggles of city’s retail and catering sectors amid shifting consumer patterns.

Hong Kong property

Fancl distributor couple buys Lippo Centre office, shop in US$38.3 million deal

Purchase by the Japanese skincare brand’s distributor marks a 60 per cent cut from 2017 price as cash-rich local investors hunt for bargains.

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