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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.
Tourists from Russia take a selfie at the Bund area in Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua
China consumption

‘On-the-ground exports’: Shanghai turns to foreign tourists to boost consumption

Inbound visitors are considered a low-cost initiative to address the nation’s consumption figures.

Hong Kong stock market

Amos Food hungry for Hong Kong capital to expand global sweets empire

Food and Drinks

Chocolate’s bean-to-bar boom, from Asian flavours to single-origin cacao

China’s private sector

As bubble tea craze cools in China, can full equity buyouts revive growth?

Bain Capital’s acquisition of Gong Cha may signal a shift in bubble tea investment strategy, as sector slows after years of rapid expansion.

Gong Cha operates almost 2,200 stores in 33 markets worldwide. Photo: Nora Tam
China consumption

Louis Vuitton trims China presence amid fallout from trademark dispute

The latest China store exit in Guiyang highlights the luxury brand’s struggle to balance prestige with cultural empathy amid legal disputes.

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Hong Kong society

How Hong Kong beauty retail tactics echo global Dead Sea sales scams

WikiLeaks files reveal pushy sales operations for Dead Sea beauty products have been problematic in several countries for decades.

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Hong Kong economy

Beyblade battles drive up sales at Hong Kong malls, but will the trend last?

Struggling to attract patrons, shopping centres are embracing resurgent popularity of Japanese toy, drawing fans who stay and spend – at least for now.

A staff member engages in a Beyblade battle with a child at the Lukfook Jewellery outlet in Tuen Mun Town Plaza. Photo: Elson Li
Hong Kong stock market

China’s Pop Mart warns of looming headwinds, unveils buy-back plan

Decline in sales growth will be ‘difficult to reverse’ without a new product format or powerful celebrity endorsement, analyst says.

Hong Kong stock market

Shein pushes back Hong Kong debut to September amid delayed orders: sources

The fast-fashion firm originally aimed to wrap up its IPO in August, but a delay in investor orders has forced a change of plan, sources say.

Hong Kong economy

In Focus | Does struggling Hongkong Post need to deliver profits or just public services?

After eight consecutive years of deficits and with few branches turning a profit, what is next for Hongkong Post?

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China consumption

China eyes rural markets, local town centres to tackle national consumption woes

The nation is looking beyond its higher-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai to address weak domestic demand.

A customer buys vegetables at a market in Nanjing, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, on March 9. Photo: Xinhua
China stock market

China’s state funds exit Kweichow Moutai as 25-year profit growth comes to end

Central Huijin Investment and China Securities Finance are not among Kweichow Moutai’s top 10 shareholders as of second quarter.

China jobs

China’s domestic demand further weakens in July, analysts bet on extra stimulus

Retail sales, a key consumption metric, trailed a 1.3 per cent growth forecast, while fixed-asset investment also weakened.

China consumption

High-spending counties offer a rare bright spot amid China’s weak demand

Lower costs, lighter debt and return-migrant capital are boosting household purchasing power in China’s smaller cities.

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Retail spending in China’s county-level economies has risen to match or surpass that of the country’s biggest cities, according to data from local authorities. Photo: Xinhua
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong’s night economy must focus on after-dark vibes, not events

Organising the biggest spectacles or boasting of the loudest nightlife matters less than understanding why people choose to stay out in the first place.

Illustration: Henry Wong
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong raises growth forecast after best half-yearly showing in nearly 5 years

Hong Kong revises full-year economic growth forecast for 2026 to a range of 3.5 to 4.5 per cent.

E-commerce

JD.com’s second-quarter profit rises 15% as food-delivery losses narrow

Net revenue dips, but still beats analysts’ estimate, as e-commerce giant contends with weak demand and fierce competition.

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Hong Kong property

CK Hutchison Holdings reports 31-fold surge in first-half profit

Global environment in the first half of 2026 was ‘exceptionally turbulent and uncertain’, says chairman Victor Li Tzar-kuoi.

A screenshot of CK Hutchison Holdings’ chairman Victor Li Tzar-kuoi from the 2025 CK Hutchison general meeting. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong developer Hysan’s first-half earnings rise 7.4% as project milestones near

Causeway Bay’s top landlord posts HK$1.11 billion in earnings as Lee Garden Eight project remains on schedule for completion this quarter.

China consumption

Gap bucks retail headwinds with massive China expansion amid localisation drive

Gap’s plan for dozens of new stores and return to Hong Kong market comes as Ralph Lauren also posted a 40 per cent year-on-year jump in China sales in past quarter.

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China consumption

Lululemon rival Alo Yoga enters China market with new store on Alibaba’s Tmall

The US brand announced its entry into China in June as part of its international expansion to tap the premium ‘athleisure’ market.

An Alo clothing store at a shopping mall in Houston, Texas. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Wellness

What’s really in your menstrual products – and should you be worried?

TikTok exposed Always for chemicals and mould concerns, but newer brands like Rael and Thinx are proving the period aisle can do better.

Menstrual products from the Honey Pot. Photo: Handout
China exports

How China’s brands are thriving in the US despite rising geopolitical tensions

Chinese brands like Pop Mart are winning over American consumers by projecting a global image and targeting niche markets.

China consumption

China’s factory-gate prices growth slows to 3.5% in July amid lower fuel prices

Amid lower domestic fuel prices and weak domestic demand, the national consumer price index rose 0.5 per cent last month.

China’s soft power

Opinion | China’s brands must outgrow diaspora bubble to hit soft power potential

Only through commercial independence and deep localisation can Chinese firms abroad forge a durable soft power that state policy can’t produce.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
China consumption

In Focus | ‘Quiet luxury’: why premium Chinese consumers are embracing home-grown brands

A growing number of local brands are winning over premium consumers who prize craftsmanship, innovation and a high‑value sense of luxury.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Hong Kong stock market

Swire Pacific posts record first-half profit as investment surges to fresh high

The Hong Kong-based conglomerate saw its underlying profits soar by 48 per cent year on year in the first half of 2026.

China economy

Editorial | China’s moves to fuel growth driven by consumption are strategic

Government subsidies for consumer goods can only go so far. Beijing’s first five-year plan to lift household consumption is part of an essential pivot.

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