3
Message from the Chairman of HKRMA
香港零售管理協會主席之話
Mr. Thomson Cheng
鄭偉雄先生
Time really flies. We have already stepped into August. Earlier this year, the
Association made a forecast that the retail sales value for the first half of 2016
would drop by double-digit owing to the subpar global economic condition
and the protracted slowdown in the inbound tourism. The latest government
statistics have confirmed our estimation. It is shown that the total retail sales
value for the first half of 2016, provisionally estimated at $220 billion, decreased
by 10.5% on a yearly basis.
In fact, Hong Kong's retail industry is now facing the "new normal", as compared
to the robust growth fueled by Mainland visitors' spending in the previous
years. Retailers are now striving to make adjustment to the tourists' changing
spending pattern and the weakening local consumption sentiment. However,
the downward trend of the retail sales is presumed to continue in the remaining
months of 2016.
The 2016 Legislative Council Election will take place in September and a fierce
competition is expected. As for the Functional Constituency of the Wholesale &
Retail sector, I would like to put on record our sincere gratitude to Mr. Vincent
Fang for his dedication and insight when he stood for the industry at LegCo.
During the past 12 years, Vincent has been fighting for the best interests for the
industry and the betterment of Hong Kong. Meanwhile, he has unreservedly
reflected our views and concerns on a wide range of regulatory issues and
policies to the Government and the community. On behalf of the Association,
I would like to express our appreciation for Vincent's contribution and wish him
the best in the next chapter of his life.
On the other hand, I would like to remind our members to exercise your voting
rights at the upcoming election. We count on you to cast the appropriate vote to
elect our trade representative for the Wholesale & Retail Functional Constituency
at the Legislature.
The Government has just completed the public consultations for two major
policies. The retirement protection in Hong Kong is the main concern for one of
the consultations. The Association made a submission to urge the Government
not to abolish the long-established MPF offsetting mechanism in the face of
the prolonged sluggish economy. The other significant consultation is about
Hong Kong's working hours policy. In the submission to the Standard Working
Hours Commission, the Association pledged our support to work-life balance,
nevertheless, we also made it clear that the root cause of long working hours
in Hong Kong is acute manpower shortage, which will not be solved by fixing
a working hours standard. Therefore, we strongly oppose the legislation of
standard working hours.
時光荏苒，轉眼間已經踏入八月份。於今年
年初，鑑於全球經濟環境欠佳，加上入境旅
客數量持續放緩，協會曾預測
2016
上半年
的零售銷貨價值將會錄得雙位數跌幅。最新
公布的政府數據與協會的預測一致。數據顯
示，上半年的零售銷貨價值按年下跌
10.5%
，
初步估計為
2,200
億港元。
事實上，相比過去數年由內地旅客消費帶
動的強勁增長，香港零售業正面對「新常
態」。零售商現正積極部署，以迎合旅客消
費模式改變及本地消費氣氛疲弱的趨勢。面
對波動的消費市場，協會預期零售銷售下行
趨勢將於今年餘下時間持續。
即將於九月份進行的立法會選舉，對所有候
選人而言將充滿考驗。在批發及零售界功能
界別方面，本人衷心感謝方剛先生過去十二
年來於立法會代表業界發聲，貢獻良多。
方剛先生於任內致力為零售業爭取最佳利
益，為香港謀福祉。他亦全力向政府及社會
反映業界對各種監管議題和政策的意見和憂
慮。本人謹代表協會感謝方剛先生多年來的
貢獻；同時亦祝願他事事順利。
選舉在即，我們亦懇請各會員履行公民責
任，踴躍就批發及零售界功能界別投票。希
望大家能作出英明的選擇，為業界選出能勝
任的立法會代表。
最近，政府剛完成兩項大型公眾諮詢。其中
一項諮詢有關退休保障政策，當中涵蓋改善
強積金機制的方案。由於經濟增長持續放
緩，協會已遞交意見書，促請政府切勿取消
行之有效的強積金對沖機制。另一項重要的
公眾諮詢是探討香港工時政策的方向。我們
向標準工時委員會遞交的意見書中，重申協
會支持工作生活平衡的立場，但同時亦明確
指出，人手嚴重短缺才是香港工時長的根本
原因，而制定標準工時並不能徹底解決問
題。因此，協會強烈反對立法規管工時。
