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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.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Customers look at Huawei’s Pura 70 series smartphones at a flagship store in Beijing. Photo: Reuters
Huawei

Huawei slashes prices in fight for China’s smartphone market share

The company is offering a markdown of up to 20 per cent for its premium handsets in its official online store.

Consumers

‘Old money’ look beats nouveau riche glitz in China’s spending slump

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China stock market

Buy or wait? Consumers put Beijing on hook for more rescue subsidies

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | True Hong Kong service won’t be found in an order-it-yourself app

From QR codes to place an order in restaurants to self-service checkouts, cold tech is taking away the warmth of proper service.

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Lin Heung Lau, a 100-year-old resturant in Central, Hong Kong, has kept the traditions of handwritten wall menus and dim sum trolleys. Photo: Alexander Mak
E-commerce

Amazon asks Chinese sellers not to offer cheaper prices on Temu

As competition heats up, the US retailer has started tracking product pricing on rival platform Temu, according to merchants.

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Fashion

Are second-hand gifts the new trend? UK charity shops do a brisk trade

This Christmas, a time of year often criticised for promoting consumerism, more Britons than ever before are buying ‘preloved’ gifts.

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Hong Kong property

Mainland Chinese retailers make their presence felt in Hong Kong

China’s largest coffee chain opens first outlet in the city as it goes up against US rival Starbucks.

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Luckin Coffee, China’s biggest coffee chain, has expanded into Hong Kong. Photo: China News Service via Getty Images
Tencent

China’s super app WeChat flexes e-commerce muscles with gift feature

The new function could be Tencent’s next big hit after electronic red packets, says one merchant.

Stocks

Chinese toymaker Pop Mart’s 370% surge fuelled by blind box collectibles

Pop Mart’s blind box toys have become a global sensation, turning the toymaker into the hottest Chinese growth company.

IPO

Hong Kong IPO: actor Roger Kwok’s Herbs Generation ends up 10% on debut

The healthcare company’s shares were oversubscribed 6,083 times after they were priced at the low end of the range at HK$3.75.

Herbs Generation Group has been co-founded by TV actor Roger Kwok (centre) and his sister. Photo: Facebook/Herbs Generation Group
China economy

Opinion | In 2025, the only constant in China will be change

With China’s economic and social landscape set to be reshaped, businesses must stay agile and be prepared for change and uncertainty.

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A worker makes Christmas decorations at a workshop in Huaibei, in China’s eastern Anhui province, on December 10. Photo: AFP
Alibaba

Alibaba to lose US$1.3 billion on Intime sale in retreat from offline retail

The deal for the department store chain is valued at 7.4 billion yuan, less than half of what Alibaba sank into it.

Luxury brands

European luxury stocks find gold to end the year on China, US optimism

Shares of European luxury goods companies rebound after a bad year, as investors hope stimulus measures will spur consumption.

China's economic recovery

China’s November consumption misses estimate, adds urgency to stimulus

Retail sales grew by just 3.0 per cent last month, while property investment also continued to drag, falling by 10.4 per cent in first 11 months.

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A worker makes Christmas decorations at a workshop in Huaibei in China’s eastern Anhui province. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong property

More Hong Kong shops to close, as retail shifts online

Local beauty brand JaneClare is an example of a firm that is making money online, but still values real-world spaces.

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Interior view of JaneClare’s flagship store in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Sun Yeung
TikTok

TikTok Shop is outperforming Shein and Sephora among US shoppers online

A new consumer trends report found that 45 per cent of surveyed Americans have bought something on TikTok.

Beauty

What perfumes do Chinese like? New trends as industry surges

With the Chinese perfume market far outpacing the global one, experts reveal note trends in mainland China and Hong Kong, and in Singapore.

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E-commerce

Beijing puts e-commerce sector’s ‘refund-only’ policy and PDD under scrutiny

The State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce have directed Pinduoduo owner PDD to fix this practice.

The intervention by regulators reflects how the “refund-only” practice has been abused and hurt online sellers’ earnings. Photo: Shutterstock
Banking & finance

China’s Urban Revivo takes global fashion push to Bangkok, New York, London

Parent FMG is also reportedly planning a more than US$100 million initial public offering in Hong Kong.

Luxury & Gaming

Over half of mainland Chinese luxury consumers plan to increase spending: report

Report says 56 per cent of mainland Chinese luxury consumers plan to increase their purchases from domestic brands.

TikTok

TikTok Shop opens in Spain, Ireland in e-commerce expansion as US ban looms

The Spain launch is TikTok Shop’s first foray into continental Europe, coming three years after opening in the UK, its first European market.

TikTok Shop has opened in Spain, marking the first expansion of the service in Europe in three years. Photo: Shutterstock
E-commerce

No Black Friday windfall for Chinese online shops selling overseas

Cut-to-the-bone pricing is eating into the profit margins of Chinese merchants selling online to global shoppers.

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Black Friday sales signs on Oxford Street in London, Britain. Photo: Xinhua
Christmas

Can AI chatbots really make your Christmas shopping easier?

Generative AI technologies that can give people assistance and advice when shopping online are fast becoming a feature of the e-commerce experience.

Hong Kong economy

Can mainland bargain-bin grocery stores push out Hong Kong’s dominant chains?

New entrant HotMaxx is winning customers by offering prices at a fraction of what ParknShop charges, bringing mainland sales tactics to Hong Kong.

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Hong Kong

Editorial | Buying local now may save Hong Kong much pain later

Shenzhen is not attracting all Hong Kong shoppers, who are opting for quality and convenience at a time when outlets are closing.

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Shoppers flock to the Times Square centre in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay district. Photo: Sun Yeung
Smartphones

Huawei premium smartphone shipments surge, as Apple leads segment in China

Mainland shipments of Huawei’s premium-priced smartphones – handsets that cost more than US$600 – rose 34 per cent in the third quarter.

Apple and Huawei are the two-biggest vendors in China’s high-end smartphone segment. Photo: Shutterstock
K-drama news

How Netflix plans to make a killing selling Squid Game merchandise

Similar to Disney, the streaming giant is merchandising its popular shows, and will open Netflix House retail centres in the US next year.

China trade

China cutting e-commerce red tape to ease export of small packages, support jobs

New policies aim to shore up China’s competitiveness in global manufacturing and e-commerce while alleviating worrisome youth-unemployment pressure.

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