American basics retailer, The Gap will be opening their first store in Hong Kong in November. Just around the corner, Abercrombie & Fitch are taking over Shanghai Tang’s space in the Pedder Building, paying $7 million a month in rent. The Queens Road Central area is fast becoming crowded with large, mid-priced retailers.

Despite its high foot-traffic location (on the former site of Queens Theatre,) The Gap may face a more difficult time attracting attention. As a provider of everyday casual wear, the brand faces competition from a medley of labels already entrenched in the neighborhood and throughout the city. (more…)

Deathstar, no. Apple Store? Maybe!

Could the new Hysan Place shopping center be the address of the first official Apple store in Hong Kong? Located at 500 Hennessy Road, just across from Sogo, Hysan Place occupies the former site of Hennessy Centre.

The older complex, which housed the Japanese department store Mitsukoshi, was forty-one stories tall, but lacked a good layout for retail space. Hysan, the leading property developer in Causeway Bay, dismantled the old building, and has rechristened the location Hysan Place. (more…)

While the masses flock to Times Square, IFC and Elements searching for gifts, why not beat the crowds and help keep Hong Kong’s indie spirit alive? (more…)

Situated at 100 Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, The One is twenty-five floors of shopping, restaurants and snacks. But one thing that makes the new mall notable is the prominence of Japanese brands. Several of the shops are the first of their kind outside of Japan. What gives? (more…)

Costume stores selling Halloween outfits on Pottinger Street in Central, Hong Kong

We’ve all been there. It’s the day before Halloween and you don’t have a costume, or even a clue about what you’re getting dressed up as. You swear to yourself that next year you’ll get your costume organized in advance. Well, we’re giving you that extra special nudge to get your Halloween act together! (more…)

You think you’re saving money buying your hair care products from Sa Sa? Think again. We’re going to tell you about an area where you can find shampoos, styling products, and even nail supplies at huge discounts. (more…)

Delay No Mall opened last December, transforming a previously untouched corner of Causeway Bay into a two-story shopping center loaded with personality.

Commissioning local artists to create displays, and featuring exclusive brands found only under their roof, the mall was an ambitious undertaking. Fast forward to today, Delay No Mall is closed, the large space being subdivided and re-purposed. What happened? (more…)

An updated, more stylish version of the “compartment store” has recently arrived. My Checker Box, located just a block away from Elizabeth House in Causeway Bay, provides a shopping thrill similar to browsing capsule toys. (For those of you unfamiliar with them, capsule toys are sold in clear plastic bubbles from vending machines.)

My Checker Box’s ground floor location, rare for this sort of shop, is a large 1900 square feet. Instead of a single owner, compartment shops typically rent out small cases of varying sizes to potentially over 100 different want-to-be retailers. The interior of the store includes modifiable compartments so that renters can create a tailored fit for their inventory. It’s up to the individual tenant what kind of merchandise they’d like to sell in their box.

The space is well lit, and features an interesting design both inside and outside the shop. Part of what makes the place attractive is that the items for sale (in clear plastic cases,) become part of the design. (more…)

I was walking along Cannon Street in Causeway Bay (known for pet stores and Vietnamese restaurants,) when I spotted a new shop. There was a small crowd gathered out front peering through the windows. What was the attraction? (more…)

I was walking through the Admiralty MTR station last Sunday when I noticed a large vending machine against one of the posts. Positioned in a rainbow formation beneath the glass was a colorful array of umbrellas.

Vending machines are normally associated with items such as drinks and snacks, but other, more novel uses do exist. Hong Kong Hustle previously covered the use of vending machines to sell cosmetics. We concluded that that combination of product and sales method perhaps wasn’t a great match. How about umbrellas? (more…)