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nths of 2013, we see the retail industry has ch is a reasonably good increase considering al economic environment. April was an Gold Rush" – the drop in the gold price that ease in retail sales. Excluding the significant atches and clocks, and valuable gifts" sector, was similar to that of March 2013.

In fact, April's "Gold Rush" revealed that our industry might have been relying too much on specific products that appealed to tourists. Depending on only a handful of lucrative product types is not favourable to the sustained growth and development of the industry. To ensure healthy and sustainable long-term growth, the industry needs to diversify its product mix to remain appealing and competitive. To enhance Hong Kong's world-famous status as a "Shoppers Paradise," the industry should move away from its reliance on a few key product ranges. Providing a larger diversity of products will create a more exciting shopping experience for customers.

May registered a 12.8% increase in retail sales, which we expect to continue through June. The performance of the preceding months is in line with our prediction made at the end of 2012, when we said the overall retail sales growth this year would likely be around 12% to 13%. We should be cautious, however, that Chinese economic growth in the second half of the year may not pick up and Hong Kong exports are likely to show minimal growth. It is anticipated that the prospects for growth will rely heavily on domestic consumer spending. However, we shouldn't overlook the risk of declining consumer confidence if property prices drop due to the measures introduced by the government or the United States raises interest rates.

Let's turn our attention now to the recently introduced proposed regulations and policies that will impact the retail industry. The Enforcement Guidelines of the Trade Descriptions (Unfair Trade Practices) (Amendment) Ordinance 2012 went into effect on 19 July this year. Because of the importance of the Enforcement Guidelines, we organised a seminar on 17 June, 2013 to help our members better understand the new law. We invited officials from the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the Customs and Excise Department to introduce the Guidelines and answer any questions our members had. Almost 300 retail practitioners attended the seminar and raised many important questions, especially concerning new rules on the presentation of prices. Many retailers were concerned and frustrated with the ambiguities and how offences were interpreted. They were concerned that their standard business operations might be impacted after implementation of the Guidelines. To provide our members with timely and practical advice on this and other issues, we organised another seminar with legal firm Clifford Chance on 26 July, 2013. In light of multiple concerns expressed by our members, we will continue to communicate with the authorities regarding the Enforcement Guidelines.

Another piece of legislation significant to most retailers is the Personal Data (Privacy) (Amendment) Ordinance 2012 ("Amendment Ordinance"), which was passed by the Legislative Council on 27 June, 2012. The first part of the provisions of the Amendment Ordinance commenced on 1 October that year, while the remaining provisions relating to direct marketing and the Legal Assistance Scheme came into effect on 1 April this year. To facilitate compliance of the Ordinance, the Association cooperated with the Office of Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data to launch a nine-month campaign called "Driving Retail Excellence through Privacy Assurance," which began with a kick off ceremony on 25 June, 2013. The campaign provides members with a series of training programmes and assessment tools to promote a better understanding of data protection requirements required by the Ordinance and best practices on privacy issues for the retail industry.

回顧2013年首五個月的零售銷售表現，零售業的平均增長達15%，鑑於全球經濟環境尚未明朗，因此增幅亦算可喜。四月金價下跌，引發「黃金熱」，令四月零售銷售表現大增20.7%。若撇除「珠寶首飾、鐘錶及名貴禮品」銷售的68.5%增長，四月的零售銷售平均增幅與三月相若。

事實上，四月的「黃金熱」反映本港零售業過分側重遊客喜歡的產品類型，實不利於業界的長遠發展。為確保有穩健及持續的增長，業界需要在產品類型作多元化發展，以維持吸引力及競爭力。要保持香港「購物天堂」的美譽，業界不應只倚靠幾類主要產品，反而應該不斷推陳出新，為遊客帶來更多購物樂趣。

五月的零售銷售增長為12.8%，預計六月的增幅大致相若。協會於去年年底預測2013年的整體零售銷售增長將介乎12%至13%，而過去數月的零售表現亦符合協會預期。然而，下半年中國經濟增長預測將會放緩，而香港出口亦只有輕微增長。整體而言，零售增長動力將主要來自本地開支，但若政府有任何措施令樓價突然下跌，又或美國加息，將會打擊消費者情緒，風險不容忽視。

有關近期新頒佈或建議與零售業相關的法規及政策，《2012年商品說明（不良營商手法）（修訂）條例》已於2013年7月19日生效，為協助會員了解執法指引的內容，協會於6月17日舉辦講座，邀請了商務及經濟發展局與香港海關的相關官員出席，闡述條例的執法指引內容。講座共吸引約300位零售從業員參加，他們皆踴躍發問，並特別查詢有關價格標示的問題。協會注意到不少從業員感到違法的詮釋模稜兩可，並擔心在執法指引實施後，一貫的營商手法會牴觸法例。為了從實際的營商角度為會員提供適時的意見，協會就同一議題於7月26日與高偉紳律師事務所合辦另一場講座。鑑於業界仍有不少疑慮，我們將會繼續就執法指引與有關當局溝通。

另一條影響大部分零售商的法規，是立法會於去年6月27 日通過的《2012年個人資料（私隱）（修訂）條例》，該修訂條例的部分條文已於2012年10月1日生效，餘下有關直接促銷及法律協助計劃的條文則於2013年4月1日生效。為協助業界了解條例，協會與個人資料私隱專員公署推行為期九個月的「卓越零售保障私隱」活動，並於 2013年6月25日隆重揭幕。活動將會舉辦連串培訓課程，並會推出評估工具，務求增進業界對個人資料保障規定的認識，提倡良好的保障私隱工作文化。

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