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TOPIC

Retailing

Retailing
Latest news and features on retailing with a particular focus on Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia, covering consumer goods and services, retail strategies, shopping habits, sales results and trends.
Investors have welcomed Pop Mart’s move. Photo: Xinhua
Hong Kong stock market

Labubu maker Pop Mart surges 10% on buy-back in show of confidence

Repurchase signals management’s confidence and healthy balance sheet, analysts say, though stock remains 42 per cent below last year’s peak.

Singapore

Singapore’s retail ownership data sparks debate about foreign chains’ influence

China GDP

China’s two-speed economy faces tough 2026 as growth cools

Hong Kong courts

Hong Kong’s Taipan bakery told to wind up, Ocean Empire boss declared bankrupt

Separate court rulings highlight struggles of city’s retail and catering sectors amid shifting consumer patterns.

Taipan Bread & Cakes closed all of its branches after 41 years in business. Photo: Nora Tam
Hong Kong property

Fancl distributor couple buys Lippo Centre office, shop in US$38.3 million deal

Purchase by the Japanese skincare brand’s distributor marks a 60 per cent cut from 2017 price as cash-rich local investors hunt for bargains.

Labubu

Explainer | What is mystery shopping, made popular by Labubu?

The Pop Mart craze is spreading to other retailers like Le Creuset and E.L.F. Beauty as ‘blind shopping’ takes off around the world.

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Hong Kong property

Hong Kong’s finance sector a ray of sunshine for city’s retail property segment

Financial services providers are emerging as a new force in the city’s retail property leasing space, analysts say.

Forthright Securities has leased three storeys of retail space totalling 14,000 sq ft at Golden Centre in Sheung Wan for its first flagship branch in Hong Kong. Photo: Google Maps
China travel

‘Structurally hurt’: why are Chinese tourists spending less abroad than before?

China’s outbound travel sector has bounced back from the pandemic, but the era of duty-free shopping sprees appears to be over.

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IPO

Chinese chain Qdama, known for its night discounts, plans Hong Kong IPO

The leading seller of meat and fresh produce on the mainland plans to open 1,400 stores in the next five years using proceeds from the IPO.

Consumers

Foreign, Hong Kong retailers shut mainland China stores amid fierce competition

High-profile store closures included those of Lane Crawford, Ikea, Triumph, Zara Home and Zara.

Lane Crawford plans to close its store in Chengdu after February 28. Photo: agirlaboutdesign.com
China’s private sector

Changing tastes: China’s new affluent consumers seek quality not extravagance

Rise of upper middle class reshapes China’s retail market, driving demand for quality goods and creating a battleground for global brands.

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The success of US retailer Sam’s Club in China is attributed to its “premium-value” offering sought by upper-middle-income consumers. Photo: Eugene Lee
China inflation

China’s consumer prices stay flat in 2025 amid focus on price wars

Beijing has been intensifying efforts to combat industrial overcapacity and fierce competition in key sectors, aiming to stabilise the economy and support growth.

Hong Kong property

Repeat buyer tucks into another McDonald’s Hong Kong shop for US$15.2 million

Evergreen Capital Partners added the Causeway Bay shop to its portfolio after acquiring two other outlets from the fast-food giant.

Rolex

Think platinum trumps gold? The Rolex Day-Date proves you wrong

Gold is more desirable than platinum in the jewellery market, and is worth more – so why is the platinum version of this watch more expensive?

The 40mm Rolex Day-Date in white gold and platinum are mechanically identical – but the different metals result in a US$17,000 price difference. Photo: Handout
Mainland China

Furniture retailer Ikea to close 7 stores in China amid property market slump

The firm plans to open more than 10 small-format outlets in key cities over a two-year period.

Ikea’s new strategy underscored the retailer’s sharpened focus on the furniture-replacement segment of the market, as new-home furnishing demand had declined. Photo: Shutterstock
Social media

At 75, Snoopy has conquered the Gen Z market. How did the beagle do it?

Snoopy’s enduring appeal continues to boost Peanuts’ brand now – it has more than 1,200 licensees around the world.

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Doing Good

Meet the teen with a mission to help artists with his own brand of socks

Darren Lee, the founder of Sababu Socks, talks about providing a lifeline for under-represented artists from the Philippines to Tanzania.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s retail uptick extends into November with sales climbing 6.5%

Sector’s growth marks third consecutive month of reaching above 6 per cent year on year, but industry leader warns against calling it ‘recovery’.

Shoppers at Tsim Sha Tsui. Hong Kong’s retail sales “sustained its recovery momentum” in November, authorities say. Photo: Dickson Lee
Hong Kong

Chinese and Asian suppliers in limbo over fashion chain Claire’s bankruptcy

Suppliers across Asia pursue legal action, but debt recovery prospects remain uncertain.

China’s private sector

Small restaurants in China starve as consumers suppress spending appetite

Per-capita spending per meal has dropped nearly 24 per cent since 2023, data provider says, as property slump sows uncertainty.

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China consumption

China rolls out trade-in funding for 2026 as campaign to spur spending continues

The programme, which has helped stimulate consumption increases, will continue to subsidise purchases of big-ticket goods and refurbishments.

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China’s consumer goods trade-in programme subsidises, among others, the purchases of big-ticket items such as automobiles and home appliances. Photo: Getty Images
China economy

Opinion | How China’s home-grown luxury labels took on Western brands

Chinese brands are gaining ground at home and worldwide as domestic consumers increasingly turn to labels with Chinese imagery and values.

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People walk past Christmas decorations outside a store of Swiss luxury watchmaker Rolex along a shopping street in Beijing on December 15. Photo: AFP
China consumption

China’s Hainan hosts duty-free shopping spree under new customs regime

A flurry of activity accompanied the official establishment of the island’s tariff and tax exemptions - but will the frenzy last?

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Consumers

From Shein to Labubu, French shoppers are buying Chinese for Christmas

This year’s wave of popularity for Chinese brands has not waned in France’s capital, with Shein’s store packed and Labubu dolls dotting trees.

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Fashion

Black leather gloves to effortlessly elevate your look this winter

With their luxe materials and exquisite detailing, these black leather gloves will elevate any look effortlessly.

Anne Hathaway and Simone Ashley at the Balenciaga spring/summer 2026 show at Paris Fashion Week in October. Photo: Handout
China consumption

Hard work, long hours fuelled China’s rise. Now, it weighs longer breaks

China, one of the world’s hardest-working countries, is adopting incentives to increase time off – and potentially boost consumer spending.

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Workers at the construction site for the main tower of Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, China. Photo: Xinhua
JD.com

Burglary of JD.com warehouse in France prompts investigation, speculation

The theft, with over 50,000 items stolen by some estimates, casts a shadow over the Chinese e-commerce giant’s first Christmas in France.

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Beauty

‘C-beauty’ cosmetics brands find retail expansion outside China a slow slog

‘For established domestic cosmetics companies attempting to expand abroad, progress is still in its early stages,’ CLSA’s Chris Gao says.

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