Protests a blessing in disguise for family-run restaurants in Fanling as residents stay put to avoid chaos
- Locally run restaurants in the sleepy neighbourhood of Fanling have seen revenues increase by up to 30 per cent in the past few months since the protests started as residents spend more in the community
- Some 40 stores along Hennessy Road, one of the most sought after retail strips in Hong Kong, have been lying vacant, the Post has found
The social unrest over the past six months have taken a toll on small businesses in Hong Kong’s prime areas, but family-run restaurants in Fanling in the New Territories have been kept rather busy, with residents staying close to home to avoid getting caught in the chaos.
In the past few years, small shops selling noodles and sandwiches in Causeway Bay – one of Hong Kong’s most expensive districts for retail rents – have been edged out by big retailers selling watches, jewellery and cosmetics to cater to tourists. But recently, even chain stores such as Sa Sa Cosmetics and Chow Tai Fook have announced plans to scale down their operations because of plummeting sales and declining tourist arrivals since the protests began in June.
As of December 6, the Post found that at least 39 stores were vacant along Hennessy Road, the main thoroughfare connecting Causeway Bay, Admiralty and Wan Chai, one of the most sought after retail strips by big chains.
“Over the last two months, many residents have chosen to stay in the local community rather than go out because of unstable traffic and uncertainty in the city,” said Dick Keung, 38, who runs Ming Zhu Cafe with his family in Luen Wo Hui in Fanling, which has so far been unaffected by the protests.
The cafe, which serves local delicacies such as pineapple buns with generous helpings of butter and soy milk in glass bottles, has seen a 20 to 30 per cent increase in business over the past two months.