Hong Kong rainstorm forces partial closure at Link Reit mall as it seeks to assess damage, compensation for tenants

Link Reit shut the lower ground floor of its shopping centre and the SOGO department store said it would be shut ‘until further notice’
Hong Kong received its heaviest rainfall since records began in 1884

Hong Kong property

Cheryl Arcibal

Published: 8:00pm, 8 Sep 2023

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Hong Kong’s heaviest rainfall since records began in 1884 forced several malls to close on Friday as several parts of the city were paralysed by widespread flooding.

Mall owner and operator Link Reit announced closure of the lower ground floor of its shopping centre and SOGO in Hong Kong’s bustling shopping district of Causeway Bay said it would be shut “until further notice”.

Temple Mall North, a neighbourhood mall connected to the railway station and next to the Wong Tai Sin Temple where hordes of worshippers typically go to make their wishes during the Lunar New Year celebrations in Hong Kong, suffered unknown damage to its lower ground premises.

“We are concerned about the impact of the rainstorm on Temple Mall North, and are working with relevant government departments to ensure resident and merchant safety,” said Link Reit, Asia’s biggest real estate investment trust in a statement.

“On-site observations indicate that the flooding is primarily caused by rainwater pouring down from the high ground into the mall’s basement. The LG floor of Temple Mall North is currently closed, but the other floors are open as usual. Tenants can decide whether to resume business on their own,” it added.

Rainwater flows into Temple Mall under black rainatorm warning in Wong Tai Sin on 8 September 2023. Photo: Edmond So

No one was reported hurt or missing due to the flooding in the mall.

To resume normal operation of the floor, the mall’s service provider was pumping rainwater out of the premises and repairing the necessary facilities, but Link Reit said it may “take a few days for tenants of (the) floor to resume their operations.”

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“We will communicate closely with the affected tenants in the aftermath. Compensation will follow normal procedures. After taking stock of the damage, tenants should file claim forms to Link for follow up,” Link Reit said.

Meanwhile, another mall owned by Link Reit – the Wan Tsu Mall in Chai Wan on Hong Kong Island was also flooded, but the company said that its other “malls and fresh markets are operating as usual.”

Sogo Causeway Bay also announced around noon on Instagram that due to the bad weather it would be shut “until further notice”.

Other mall owners and operators such as Swire Properties, Sun Hung Kai Properties, New World Development and Chinese Estates said all their shopping centres remained unaffected by the bad weather.

In the case of New World, a spokesman said they were spared as they were located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Tsuen Wan, where flooding was not serious.