Hong Kong businesses strongly reject city bid to extend mall hours amid manpower crunch, consumers spending across border

Annie Tse Yau On-yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, said businesses were resistant to the plan as there was a labour shortfall on average of 10 to 20 percent.

“So far, I have not had a single positive response. We really don’t have the conditions to extend our operating hours. We discussed with members from the catering and retail industries and both sides strongly rejected the idea,” Tse told a radio programme.

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“Especially the catering industry, which has said it is very tight on manpower and already working overtime. It is virtually impossible to hire more workers for longer hours.”

Authorities and malls are in talks to extend business hours to 11pm on weekends as part of a plan to revive a lacklustre night economy, targeting the coming festive season spanning Mid-Autumn Festival in late September and the Golden Week national holiday in October.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po recently proposed the idea of night bazaars to boost the economy, saying this would raise competitiveness and the ability to attract tourists through innovation, quality services and outdoor experiences as visitors’ habits had changed after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tse on Friday pointed to the reopening of the border as affecting local consumption, with more residents heading to mainland China to shop or dine, while earnings from tourism were still not on par with pre-pandemic levels.

“First we need to deal with Hongkongers spending their money up north, which is a very big challenge for us. Some of our businesses are reporting a 20 to 30 per cent drop in sales. At least during the pandemic, Hongkongers spent their money in the city,” she said.

“Even with the border reopening, tourist spending has been less than ideal – only about half of pre-pandemic levels.”

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A survey by Tse’s retail association found tourists spent less in July this year, compared with the same month in 2018.

Tse referenced night bazaars in major mainland cities such as Changsha in Hunan province and Chengdu, which boosted local economies, but noted it was mostly catering businesses that benefited from the nightlife revival.

“Retailers are still feeling the hit, due to the economic slowdown. Citizens have money, but they would rather save it in their bank accounts than spend it.”

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Lam Chi-ting, executive director of the Tourism Industry Employees General Union, told the same radio show the government could pilot the night bazaar idea at the Kwun Tong promenade and tie this in with the development of the Kai Tak area.

“Current talks surround a short-term plan for night markets, but we propose something more permanent. For a night bazaar to be attractive, it needs to be sustainable, diverse, accessible and unique,” said Lam, who is also vice-chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions.

He cited the typhoon shelter at the promenade as an example of a special Hong Kong trait, suggesting the revival of sampan congee, an old-school delicacy sold by fishermen peddling on boats.

“With regards to licensing and regulations, we would need the cooperation of the government to relax laws,” he said.