Hong Kong shopping centres shun one-size-fits-all strategy over Christmas holiday to widen customer appeal

Malls shake up promotion efforts over festive break, including doubling rebates and pet-friendly policies, to counter change in tastes among local shoppers and tourists

‘The market situation has indeed changed a lot after the epidemic, and shopping malls must be more flexible and actively expand their customer base,’ industry leader says

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Shopping centres are making an effort to cater to regular customers and tourists looking for experiences. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 8:30am, 25 Dec 2023

Hong Kong shopping centres are shaking up their promotion efforts over the Christmas holiday to counter a change in spending habits among mainland Chinese tourists and a wave of residents heading across the border to splash out.

Some mall operators have doubled their rebates as others adopted pet-friendly policies to attract more shoppers.

Maureen Fung Sau-yim, executive director of Sun Hung Kai Properties, which operates dozens of shopping centres across the city including Kwun Tong’s APM and the IFC Mall in Central, said the company had adopted more agile business strategies and made a conscious effort to boost its appeal among different demographics.

“The market situation has indeed changed a lot after the epidemic, and shopping malls must be more flexible and actively expand their customer base,” she said on Friday.

Maureen Fung, executive director of Sun Hung Kai Properties, says malls will have to become more adaptable to retain a strong customer base. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

K11 Group, which runs K11 Musea and K11 Art Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, as well as the newly opened 11 Skies in Chek Lap Kok, also said it was conscious of the changing retail environment.