Shopping in Hong Kong

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Marketing campaign featuring Coco Lee CoCo Lee Ads in HK Wanchai.jpg
Marketing campaign featuring Coco Lee
Muji store in Hong Kong Muji Store HK.JPG
Muji store in Hong Kong
The Louis Vuitton branch in Hong Kong LVHongKong.jpg
The Louis Vuitton branch in Hong Kong
Nathan Road in Kowloon Kowloon Nathan Road 2007.JPG
Nathan Road in Kowloon

Shopping is a popular social activity in Hong Kong, [1] [2] where basic items for sale do not draw any duties, sales taxation, or import taxation. [3] Only specific import goods such as alcohol, tobacco, perfumes, cosmetics, cars and petroleum products have associated taxes. For companies, there is a 17.5% corporate tax, which is lower than international standards. [1] Shoppers reportedly spend over US$5.2 billion a month in Hong Kong shops. [4]

Contents

Hong Kong's proximity to manufacturing plants in China, as well as its status as a free port, allow it to sell and transport a wide variety of goods. There are few restrictions on merchandise vending, and therefore items such as realistic toy weapons are available. The two main shopping seasons are at Christmas and the Chinese New Year.

The region is unique in the sense that it is official languages are both Cantonese and English, which enables a healthy tourist trade with English-speaking customers as bilingual sales tags and salespeople are common, especially in tourist areas. The MTR subway and effective taxi service also facilitate Hong Kong's busy shopping industry.

Overview

Hong Kong is the fifth largest exporter of jewellery in the world, mainly in the supply of jade and gold, and the second largest exporter of custom jewellery. [5] Chow Seng Seng and Luk Fook are among the more well-known local jewellery chains. [1]

A variety of cuisines are available in Hong Kong; the Soho area in Central is the centre for Western foods, while traditional Chinese cuisines including Shanghainese, Hanainanese, and Cantonese are widely available. Street vendors or hawkers selling local snacks such as dumplings and snake soup can be found in Mong Kok and Causeway Bay.

Custom tailoring is popular and affordable in Hong Kong. Customers can draw out a design for clothing and have it made in a few days. Modern fashion is sold in the Times Square, IFC, and Elements shopping malls, while leather goods are available in Tsim Sha Tsui. Fa Yuen Street and the Ladies Market (女人街) on Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok, as well as Jardine’s Crescent in Causeway Bay, are known for the availability of low-priced clothing and accessories.

Electronics from Japan and Europe are available for example in Apliu Street and the Golden Shopping Center in Sham Shui Po. There are computer appliances centers in Wan Chai, Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, and Causeway Bay.

Japanese culture has become popular in Hong Kong, with Japanese department stores such as Sogo, Yata, and Muji operating. Japanese clothing brands like Swordfish, Moussy, and Uniqlo have also opened flagship stores in the city.

Stanley Market sells a variety of inexpensive goods, particularly souvenirs. Antiques can be found on Upper Lascar Row and Hollywood Road, which are popular with tourists.

History

During its early colonial period, Hong Kong served as a port that sold far more than it consumed. Goods were mostly sold via mobile hawking or independent traders, with the majority of trade, utilities, shipping, and manufacturing handled by major business houses known as hongs. [6] The establishment of banks and deposit institutions allowed people to accumulate savings.

The economy underwent an upturn in the 1960s, which led to the opening of several shopping centres. Two of the first modern shopping centres were Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui and The Landmark in Central, above the MTR station. [2] Daimaru led a trend of Japanese exports into Hong Kong in 1966 [2] and Deng Xiaoping's 1978 Open Door Policy made Hong Kong the definitive gateway to China. [1] As the economy improved during the 1970s and 80s, there was increasing demand for luxury goods, such as air conditioning. [7]

In 1984, Cityplaza in Taikoo Shing was redeveloped. A large architectural project at the time was also undertaken to connect Ocean Centre to the Harbour City shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui. Many large shopping centres were also built in the new towns, including Tuen Mun Town Plaza, New Town Plaza, and Tai Po Mega Mall.

The large mall construction movement continued into the 1990s with Pacific Place, Dragon Centre, Time Square, Plaza Hollywood and Festival Walk. [2] Developments further expanded into the New Territories.

Speciality local stores

See also

Related Research Articles

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Tsim Sha Tsui Urban area in Kowloon, Hong Kong

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Jordan, Hong Kong Suburb in Yau Tsim Mong District, Hong Kong

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Hang Hau station MTR station in the New Territories, Hong Kong

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Nathan Road main street in Kowloon, Hong Kong

Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong that goes in a south–north direction from Tsim Sha Tsui to Sham Shui Po. It is lined with shops and restaurants and throngs with tourists, and was known in the post–World War II years as the Golden Mile, a name that is now rarely used. It starts on the southern part of Kowloon at its junction with Salisbury Road, a few metres north of Victoria Harbour, and ends at its intersection with Boundary Street in the north. Portions of the Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan Lines run underneath Nathan Road. The total length of Nathan Road is about 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi).

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Olympic is a station on the Tung Chung line of Hong Kong's MTR. The livery is dodger blue.

Sogo department store chain

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Wellcome company

Wellcome is a supermarket chain owned by Jardine Matheson Holdings via its Dairy Farm International Holdings subsidiary. The Wellcome supermarket chain is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong, the other being PARKnSHOP. Wellcome also operates supermarkets in Taiwan and the Philippines under the Wellcome name. The parent company, Dairy Farm, also has other supermarket interests in the Asia Pacific under different brand names.

Canton Road street in Hong Kong, Peoples Republic of China

Canton Road is a major road in Hong Kong, linking the former west reclamation shore in Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok on the Kowloon Peninsula. The road runs mostly parallel and west to Nathan Road. It starts from the junction with Salisbury Road in the south and ends in the north at the junction with Lai Chi Kok Road in the Prince Edward area. The southern part Canton Road is home to many upscale retail shops, shopping centres and others business establishments, with busy traffic from both vehicles and pedestrians from morning till late night.

Freshness Burger

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Mira Place Shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Mira Place, formerly Miramar Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is located at 132-134 Nathan Road, at the corner with Kimberley Road. It has six retail floors, a seven-level annexed podium and 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) of shopping space with over 100 stores.

Tai Lin Radio Service

Tai Lin Radio Service Limited was one of Hong Kong's largest electrical appliance retail chains. Founded in 1946, it liquidated on 17 October 2008, having thirteen branches altogether throughout the territory at the time.

Sogo Hong Kong company

Sogo Hong Kong is one of Hong Kong's largest department stores. First established by Japanese retailers, Sogo & Seibu Company, the department store is now owned by Lifestyle International Holdings. In addition to the flagship store in Hong Kong Island, Sogo Hong Kong operates a second store in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.

Park Avenue (Hong Kong) Housing estate in Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Park Avenue is a private housing estate in Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was one of the projects connected with the MTR Olympic Station Phase II development and is built on the reclaimed land of the former Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter. Developed by the consortium of MTR Corporation, Sino Land, Kerry Properties, Bank of China and China Overseas Land and Investment in 2001, it comprises five high-rise buildings with a total of 1,592 units.

Olympian City Housing and shopping complex in Hong Kong

Olympian City is a shopping and residential complex built on reclaimed land in Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, next to the MTR Olympic Station. It is one of the main shopping and residential areas in West Kowloon. The shopping arcades, Olympian City 1, 2 and 3, were developed by Sino Land while the residential buildings were developed by MTR Corporation and Sino Land.

Park Central (Hong Kong) Housing estate in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong

Park Central is a private housing estate and shopping mall in Tseung Kwan O, New Territories, Hong Kong, located near MTR Tseung Kwan O Station. It consists of 12 residential blocks in two phases with a total of 4,152 units, and a 350,000-square-foot (33,000 m2) shopping mall, the largest one in Tseung Kwan O. It was jointly developed in 2002, 2003 and 2005 by the consortium of property developers, including Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land Development, Chinachem Group, MTR Corporation and Nan Fung Group.

Tuen Mun Town Plaza Private housing estate and shopping mall in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong

Tuen Mun Town Plaza is the largest shopping mall in the NW New Territories of Hong Kong. Established in 1988 and located in the town of Tuen Mun, it was developed by the Sino Group. It provides a large range of merchandise, offering residents a myriad of shopping, dining and entertainment facilities.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Fallon, Stephen (2006). Hong Kong & Macau . Lonely Planet city guide (12th ed.). Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet. ISBN   978-1-74059-843-9. OCLC   62225842.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mathews, Gordon; Lui, Tai-Lok (2001). Consuming Hong Kong. Hong Kong culture and society. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN   962-209-546-1. OCLC   47638448.
  3. ↑ Barber, Nicola (2004). Hong Kong. Great cities of the world. Milwaukee, WI: World Almanac Library. ISBN   0-8368-5038-6. OCLC   54544041.
  4. ↑ Cheung, Tony. "Consumer Products and Retail | English". www.investhk.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  5. ↑ Cheung, Tony. "Consumer Products and Retail | English". www.investhk.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Genzberger, Christine (1994). Hong Kong Business: The Portable Encyclopedia for Doing Business with Hong Kong. World Trade Press country business guides. San Rafael, Calif: World Trade Press. ISBN   0-9631864-7-7. OCLC   29467723.
  7. ↑ Yu, Tony Fu-Lai (1997). Entrepreneurship and Economic Development in Hong Kong. Routledge advances in Asia-Pacific business, 5. London: Routledge. ISBN   0-415-16240-8. OCLC   36165215.
  8. ↑ Chibber, Kabir (1 April 2009). "Store Review: G.O.D. in Hong Kong". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
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