New mall extends hours to tap hidden market
A shopping mall operator yesterday vowed to tap the hidden consumption power of eastern Kowloon by adopting extended shopping hours.
APM, a new shopping mall in Kwun Tong managed by Sun Hung Kai, began nearly around-the-clock operations yesterday, seven weeks after it opened.
Shops will operate from 11am to midnight, restaurants will stay open until 2am, and entertainment outlets such as karaoke until 6am. The new hours will run on a trial basis for seven weeks.
The Kwun Tong community represents a big opportunity for retailers, said Maureen Fung Sau-yim, a deputy general at Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency.
Many retailers report that their branches in the new Kwun Tong mall have the highest sales figures of any in the city - even compared to major shopping areas such as Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay, she said.
'But no one has explored this area,' she said. 'There aren't enough shops in this district. People had to travel to Kowloon Bay, Mongkok, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui.'
Ms Fung said that in just four days since the mall's Jusco branch opened, it rang up over $3 million in sales. City Super is averaging over $300,000 in sales per day.
The mall recorded more than 4 million visitors in its first four days - '30 per cent higher than we expected,' Ms Fung said. 'It reached 280,000 this Sunday and 250,000 on Monday.'
Ms Fung said customers were coming not only from the local area, but other districts as well.
'About 10 per cent come from Sai Kung. We also have other shoppers from the island side,' she said. All stores in the mall will be open for business by the middle of this month.
