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Nikki Sun

While most Hongkongers insist nothing will stand in the way of their lavish Mother’s Day plans, retailers and restaurant operators are preparing for the worst.
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, expected locals would spend 10 per cent less on meals to treat their mothers.
“Hongkongers have been spending less money in the restaurants,” said Wong. He said some restaurants had to slash prices or come up with new menus offering cheaper dishes for this year’s Mother’s Day to lure Hongkongers who had become more frugal in the economic downturn.
“As a tradition, they will still treat their mothers with some decent meals,” Wong said, but this year’s treat would not be as extravagant as it used to be.
Three places to pamper your mum in Hong Kong for Mother’s Day
However, Hongkongers polled by the Post vowed not to tighten their belts on gifts or meals.
The Post asked 10 local residents in Causeway Bay on Friday afternoon about their Mother’s Day plans. Nine of them said the poor economic situation would not affect their spending on Mother’s Day as “the love for mother was not to be compromised”, as one interviewee put it.
Eight out of ten said they would take their mothers to a nice restaurant – though only three of them had booked a table by
Friday.
A bus company worker surnamed Lo said he brought a set of skincare products worth HK$2,000 this year, up from the HK$1,500 he spent on similar products last year.
A 22-year-old clerk surnamed Chan said she had bought her mother a watch, which cost thousands of dollars this year, a similar amount of money she gave to her mother in a red packet last year.
However, among the six interviewees who planned to buy a gift for their mothers, Lo and Chan were the only two who had taken action by Friday.
Top 5 Mother’s Day lunches in Macau
Despite the promised generosity of Hongkongers, retailers did not expect the sales of big ticket items to get a boost from Mother’s Day. Some shops are even offering larger discounts and promoting less expensive items this year, they said.
Harold Sun, vice-chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades and Industry expected a 20 per cent drop in purchases during the Mother’s Day shopping period.
“Many brands started the promotions earlier this year,” Sun said, adding retailers gave more discounts to try to reduce their large stocks of unsold goods.
Chow Sang Sang, one of the city’s largest jewellers, is promoting more affordable fashion jewelry this year, instead of the pure gold items that were discounted in previous years.
Clothing retailer The Outdoor Shop was offering 80 per cent off its products yesterday before folding its 27-year-old business in the city. The sale attracted hundreds of bargain hunters queuing at its Tsim Sha Tsui branch despite hot weather. The retailer blamed its closure on “changes in business environment”.
The latest government statistics showed Hong Kong’s retail sales dropped 12.5 per cent in the first three months of this year, the poorest first-quarter performance since 1999. March’s retail sales were down 9.8 per cent or 13 months in a row.


A not-so-happy Mother’s Day for Hong Kong’s retailers and restaurants

More than 200 people queue up outside the Outdoor Shop in TST on Saturday. The 27-year-old store is going to close down amid a poor “business environment”. Photo: Edmond So

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong economy

Retailers and restaurant operators feel the chill even on Mother’s Day amid Hong Kong’s spending woes.
