Retailers hope hot shoppers hop to it
Warm weather over Easter weekend expected to give spending added boost
Retailers are counting on continued warm weather to boost Easter spending as customers go shopping for their summer wardrobes.
As temperatures touched 30 degrees Celsius in parts of Hong Kong yesterday, retailers were hoping it heralded an early summer.
'People are spending more but we are hoping that summer will arrive earlier,' said Harbour City's promotions and advertising manager, Karen Tam Kar-ying.
If the weather turned cold, it would dampen sales of the new spring-summer collections, she said.
'In the past there was a pattern for sales seasons but the unstable weather in recent years has upset the seasonal sales pattern,' Ms Tam said.
Cooler weather is expected over the weekend and temperatures are tipped to stay in the low 20s, with a return to warmer conditions next week.
Ms Tam said children's wear and items were expected to be among the big sellers.
'People are more willing to spend and it looks like more people are expecting children,' she said. 'Retailers told us that business for sales of children's items will do better.'
Times Square in Causeway Bay recorded a 10 per cent increase in traffic last week and was expecting more tourists to shop at the mall.
A spokeswoman for the upmarket mall said people who had made money from the recent surge in the stock market were expected to be the core big spenders during the long weekend.
'The weather looks good and April is the time to change clothes,' the spokeswoman said.
'The competition is much more intense. But we are expecting an improvement in business.'
But Sun Hung Kai Properties' deputy general manager of leasing, Maureen Fung Sau-yim, does not expect spending over the Easter holiday to be focused on clothing.
'More will be spent on food and beverages, and entertainment,' Ms Fung said.
'The cinema at the APM mall has recorded a 10 per cent increase in Easter advanced bookings. Both karaoke and cinemas at our malls are expecting a 20 to 30 per cent increase in turnover.'
Ms Fung said gift shops selling chocolate bunnies anticipated a 20 to 30 per cent increase in business, and a 10 to 20 per cent increase in the food and beverages sales.
Despite the positive Easter outlook, shopping mall operators still have to be creative when it comes to encouraging consumers to spend more.
Malls in general spend less in promoting Easter than other festivals. Ms Fung said Christmas was the most important season, when people spent three times as much.
'But Easter is different,' Ms Tam said. 'All we can do is try to create a festive vibe. There's nothing much special to sell around Easter.'
