UNITED States consumers may be buying more Hongkong goods, but they are interested in unusual or high-quality designs rather than products that are simply cheap.
Sign of a shaky economic recovery in Hongkong's most important market came from 10 interviews with Hongkong companies with significant US trade at the twin trade exhibitions that opened yesterday at the Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The events are the Hongkong Gifts and Houseware Fair, and the Hongkong Premium Show. The latter is devoted to items that are given away for promotional purposes and encompasses almost every type of product with enough flat space for a company logo.
The record 850 stalls completely fill the exhibition centre's two main halls. There are many Hongkong companies there trying to interest buyers but there are also a significant number of companies from Taiwan and Germany.
Most bullish of the Hongkong interviewees was Mr Jim Sutter, director of Radica, one of the few companies in the world that makes accurate electronic versions of casino games such as blackjack.
''For us the American market is on fire at the moment,'' he said, adding that the recession made buyers working for US retailers more discerning.
''The recession has worked very well for us . . . We wish it would go into a triple dip.'' However, several companies making more traditional Hongkong products, such as cheap clocks and calculators, without exception said they had seen no increase in interest from US buyers.
