Hong Kong protests: vandalised Festival Walk to remain closed until first quarter of 2020 for repairs, hitting retail and catering brands
- Mall’s owner says it will need to repair damage to glass entrances, glass curtain walls, escalators, lifts, and glass balustrades
- The closure will mean even less earnings for businesses already struggling from a decline in tourist arrivals and weak consumer sentiment
Hong Kong’s upmarket mall Festival Walk will remain closed until the first quarter of next year, leaving branches of big retail and catering brands to suffer revenue losses in the peak festive period of Christmas and New Year.
Singapore-listed Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust has announced details on the reopening of its severely damaged Kowloon Tong shopping mall, weeks after protesters vandalised multiple floors and also set a large artificial Christmas tree on fire.
The mall’s owner said it would need to repair glass entrances, glass curtain walls, escalators, lifts, and glass balustrades along the common areas.
“We are working closely with our consultants and contractors to reopen, either partially or fully, in the first quarter of 2020,” the trust’s manager said in a statement on Wednesday.
The manager said the reopening would also be subject to approvals to be obtained from the authorities, while adding that retail tenants’ rents would be waived during the closure.