Vice-Chairmen's Messages
副主席之話
With a number of negative factors at play, we are
expecting to see a structural change in Hong Kong’s
retail sector, which will continue for some time. For
example, some luxury retailers are consolidating their
shops to cope with the slowdown, so more retail space,
especially in prime locations, will soon be available in the
market. We expect landlords may also diversify their
tenant composition to include more mid-range retailers or
SMEs with more flexible leasing terms. This means Hong
Kong retailers will have to adjust their business strategies
to grasp this opportunity and focus more on robust local
retail spending.
Whether there will be a significant drop in retail rent levels
in Hong Kong is yet to be seen, although the change in
consumer shopping patterns is something we should
not underestimate. The increasing popularity of online
shopping by both Mainland and local consumers will
definitely bring challenges to “bricks and mortar” retailers.
In light of this trend, the Association continues to assist
our members to explore opportunities to be brought about
by omni-channel retailing as well as ways to enhance the
consumer shopping experience.
Another major concern to fellow retailers is the
accelerating compliance costs of doing business. The
commencement of the Competition Ordinance in
December this year will surely have implications on existing
business arrangements. Furthermore, the proposal on
standard working hours, if enforced, will exacerbate the
acute labour shortage and will increase operating costs
further. We are concerned that an increasing number
of legislation and regulation will undermine Hong Kong’s
competitiveness and our position as a leading international
business centre. We earnestly hope the Government will
pay attention to this worrisome trend.
Looking forward, 2016 will surely be another challenging
year for us all. The Association will count on members’
continued support to reinforce our work and contribution
to the retail industry.
Remarks: Mr. Thomson Cheng was appointed as Chairman of the
Association on 9 October, 2015
.
在眾多負面因素互相影響下，協會預計香
港零售業在結構上將有轉變，並將持續一
段時日。一些奢侈品零售商為應付增長放
緩，正在整合商舖，市場上將出現更多空
置的零售商舖，尤其是位於黃金地段的。
協會預期商舖業主為使其租戶組合更趨多
元化，亦可能會以更靈活的租賃條款將商
舖租予更多中型零售商或中小企。因此，
香港零售商必須調整其營商策略，捕捉這
次機會，並專注於本地強勁的零售消費。
香港零售商舖的租金會否下挫，尚待觀
察，而我們切勿低估消費者購物模式的轉
變。中國內地及本港消費者網上購物日益
普及，確實對經營實體業務的零售商帶來
重大挑戰。面對這種不可逆轉的趨勢，協
會將繼續協助會員透過全渠道零售開拓商
機，另闢蹊徑提高消費者購物體驗。
零售同業為遵守新條例而產生的經營成本
不斷上漲，是它們面臨的另一個重大問
題。《競爭條例》今年12月生效後，勢必
影響零售商目前的經營。再者，假若標準
工時建議落實，勞工短缺的問題將雪上加
霜，經營成本勢必上漲。協會關注，越來
越多新法例及規例將進一步削弱香港的競
爭力，損害香港作為主要國際商業中心的
地位。協會熱切冀望政府正視這個令人憂
慮的趨勢。
展望來年，2016年對我們來說必定又是
挑戰重重的一年。有賴協會會員不懈的支
持，協會將繼續致力為零售業作出更重大
的貢獻。
備註：鄭偉雄先生於2015年10月9日獲委任為
協會主席。
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