Thousands lose jobs as eateries close
10 Oct 2019
The first wave of retail closures has hit Hong Kong, with about 100 restaurants shutting and 2,000 workers losing their jobs in the past month, a catering group says.
Henry Ma Kin-leong, vice chairman of the Institution of Dining Art, said to reduce costs, many restaurants have started to lay off part-time workers and requested full-time workers to take unpaid leave.
He expected the wave of business closures to continue as income cannot cover the rent.
Ma said restaurants in tourist areas including Causeway Bay and the Yau Tsim Mong District have been seriously affected, as well as those in shopping malls, many of which closed during the protests.
He also said many closed restaurants have not been taken over by new owners due to the business environment.
His association and the Hong Kong Retail Management Association are calling on the government for more relief measures and for mall owners to reduce rents.
Most shopping malls have refused to lower rents, including those under the Link REIT and MTR Corp, the groups said.
Annie Tse Yau On-yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, said some landlords have offered to cut rent by 10 to 30 percent for several months, while Swire Properties and Hysan Place have offered support measures to their tenants. But most shopping malls have insisted on maintaining rents.
She said retail sales in August plunged 23 percent. Business in high-end consumer goods like watches and jewelry dropped almost 50 percent, while sales of clothes, footwear and cosmetics fell 30 percent...........
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-ne...422&sid=11
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More than 40 per cent of Hongkongers want to emigrate amid ongoing protests, survey finds
10 Oct, 2019
- According to Chinese University survey, 42.3 per cent respondents want to move abroad permanently, compared with 34 per cent in December last year
- Most people want to move to Canada, Australia or Taiwan citing factors such as ‘political disputes’ and ‘lack of democracy’...............
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong...grate-amid