HKFP Lens: Across Hong Kong, the streets bear the scars of a stubbornly weak retail sector – shuttered stores
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong was known as a “shopping paradise.” But since lifting all anti-epidemic measures early last year, the city has struggled to live up to its reputation. Last month, 70 per cent of small and medium enterprises surveyed by the Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association and Junior Chamber International Hong Kong said their income had dropped below pre-pandemic levels. “Factors such as the rising trend of northbound travel among Hongkongers, international trade disputes, the emigration wave, and labour shortages, have brought a considerable impact to t...