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In addition, the Government has already announced the membership of the Standard Working Hours Committee (SWH) in Hong Kong. We are all very concerned about the proposed SWH as the minimum wage has only been in place for a very short period of time and its total impact on the economy has not yet been fully felt. In addition, the Government has introduced a number of regulations recently which have tremendous repercussions on the industry. One obvious example is the amendment on the Import and Export (General) Regulations. The amendment was made hastily without conducting a comprehensive impact study or a thorough consultation with the relevant stakeholders. As "milk formula" was ill-defined in the amendment, it has led to a number of people wrongly charged by the Department of Customs and Excise and has stirred up dissatisfaction among various parties in the community. The amendment also violates the free-trade principle that has long been upheld and cherished by Hong Kong and weakened the city's reputation as a shopping paradise. To express our concerns over the amendment, we have communicated our views to Dr. Ko Wing-man, Secretary for Food and Health, and other relevant Legislative Councillors.

Apart from the amendment on the Import and Export (General) Regulation, the Association also responded to the Government regarding its public consultation on the draft Enforcement Guidelines of Trade Descriptions (Unfair Trade Practices) (Amendment) Ordinance 2012. In particular, a number of positive and negative examples in real business situations were provided to the Government so that the Guidelines would be more neutral and practical to facilitate the trade's understanding and compliance. We appreciate the open dialogue we have been having with the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the Department of Customs and Excise on the matter.

Before I sign off, I want to update you on two flagship events the Association will be hosting in the coming months. The first one is the Retail Conference, which is scheduled for 9 May. We are pleased that the Conference has proudly entered its fifth year and eight prominent speakers have been invited to share their insights on brand innovation and retail leadership. We are particularly thankful that the Conference has been fully booked within a short period of time due to the overwhelming response. Another flagship event is the 2013 Service & Courtesy Award, which will be kicked off by the Service Forum on 24 April. In celebrating the 30 th anniversary of the Association, new awards will be introduced this year to recognise companies that have rendered continued support by nominating their staff to participate in the Service & Courtesy Award. Please keep an eye on the promotional materials that will start appearing soon.

To celebrate the Association's 30 th anniversary, we held a simple but heart-warming cake cutting ceremony on 5 March, 2013, right before the March Ex-Co meeting, to signify the start of a series of celebratory initiatives to be rolled out in the coming months. Indeed, 30 years has flown by. On this occasion, it's important to show our appreciation for your continued support; without it, we would not have grown from strength to strength over the past three decades. On behalf of the Association, I want to sincerely thank you for your longstanding support of the Association and the retail industry. Together, I know we will continue making a difference for the next 30 years and beyond.

另一方面，政府亦已公布標準工時委員會的成員名 單。由於最低工資的推行時間尚短，對經濟的全面 影響尚未完全浮現，我們非常關注標準工時的建 議。政府最近亦提出多項對業界影響甚深的法規， 《進出口（一般）規例》的修訂便是一例。有關 修訂未有進行全面的影響評估和仔細諮詢持份者便 倉促推行，其中修訂的「配方粉」的定義含糊，令 多名市民被海關錯誤檢控，亦激發社會不同人士和 團體的不滿。修訂更違反了香港一直堅守和珍視的 自由貿易原則，大大影響了香港「購物天堂」的美 譽。為了表達我們對修訂的疑慮，協會已多番向食 物及衞生局局長高永文醫生及其他相關立法會議員 反映意見。

除了《進出口（一般）規例》的修訂，協會亦就 《2012年商品說明（不良營商手法）（修訂）條 例》執法指引擬稿的公眾諮詢向政府提交意見。我 們列舉了在實際經營情況的正反例子，務求令指引 更加中立及實用，以便業界了解及遵守。我們喜見 商務及經濟發展局和香港海關皆就此諮詢與協會保 持緊密溝通。

最後，希望各位留意協會即將舉行的兩項盛事。首 先是5月9日舉行的第五屆零售研討會，活動共邀得 八位著名講者分享對品牌創新及零售領導的真知灼 見。感謝大家的支持，研討會的報名已滿。另一項 重點活動是「2013傑出服務獎」，活動將隨著4月 24日舉行的零售服務研討會正式展開。為慶祝協會 30周年誌慶，今年將會設立新獎項，表揚多年來均 有提名員工競逐獎項的公司。宣傳資料即將推出， 敬請留意。

協會亦已於2013年3月5日在召開執委會會議前， 舉行了簡單而隆重的30周年誌慶切餅儀式，為未來 數月陸續推出的慶祝活動揭開序幕。光陰荏苒，協 會得以在過去三十年茁壯成長，全賴各位的投入與 貢獻。我謹代表協會衷心感謝大家對協會及零售業 的支持。我深信只要大家攜手同心，將可帶領協會 邁進下一個成就斐然的30年。

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