Opinion | Citygate Outlet team bids for another site at Tung Chung

A friend recently paid a visit to Citygate Outlet shopping mall in Tung Chung. She thought she was in Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.

Shops selling designer fashion brands and sports items, including Burberry, Coach, Levis, Polo, Nike and Adidas, were jam-packed with mainland buyers.

Some of the mainland shoppers were in such a hurry to take the last cross-the-border bus that they simply removed their shirts to try on anything they took from the shelves, instead of lining up to enter the fitting rooms.

Most were same-day travellers, who take the cross-border bus directly to Tung Chung. First they take a 25-minute scenic trip via the Ngong Ping 360 cable car to the famed Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha, then they end the day by shopping at the outlet mall, before returning home in the evening.

With the outlet mall offering goods at 30 per cent to 70 per cent year-round discounts, it manages to lure an increasing number of mainland shoppers from traditional shopping districts such as Causeway Bay.

No doubt the cash registers of retailers at Hong Kong's first outlet mall, which is owned by a five-strong consortium made up of Swire Properties, Sun Hung Kai Properties, New World Development, Henderson Land Development and Hang Lung, rang up strong sales.

Last Friday, the same consortium submitted a bid for the nearby commercial site in Tung Chung, which is also believed to be earmarked for a shopping centre.