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TOPIC

Consumers

Consumers
News about consumer spending and shifting shopping habits from around the world with a focus on developments in Hong Kong and mainland China.
Illustration: Brian Wang
US-China relations

How Chinese drink chains are testing the limits of soft power

New tea and coffee brands from China are winning customers across America, but their broader influence remains unclear.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Why foreign marques are struggling to keep pace with Chinese EV demand

China travel

China, South Korea agree to more flights per week as tourism to Japan dwindles

Hong Kong economy

Opinion | For airport city to take off, Hong Kong must learn from 11 Skies failure

When the market the project was designed for has largely disappeared, the more useful question is whether it can adapt.

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11 Skies is a 3.8 million sq ft mixed‑use retail and entertainment complex at Skycity near Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok, seen here on May 27. Photo: Sam Tsang
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s BYD, Chery chart 80% growth overseas as EV demand spikes

‘Eye-catching’ numbers show efforts paying off amid growing brand recognition abroad and tepid sales at home, analysts say.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla’s China sales surge to 2026 high, but rivals crowd the rear-view mirror

Tesla’s China sales rebounded in May on financing incentives and stronger demand, but local competitors are gaining momentum.

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Architecture and design

Marcel Wanders: from knotted chairs to Moooi’s new Shanghai showroom – interview

The Dutch designer champions fun over mere functionality as he introduces the Moooi brand to China and aims to explore cultural individuality.

Marcel Wanders believes that design is not about how well a product functions – it’s about culture, creating something unique and not following other people’s rules. Photo: Handout
China’s private sector

The big scoop: lemon tea chain to revamp Haagen-Dazs’ struggling China business

General Mills is offloading the ice cream brand’s mainland China stores, as foreign businesses revamp models amid heated domestic competition.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong retail sales rise 8.6% in April, but ‘full recovery has yet to emerge’

Retail sales for first four months of 2026 up 11.3 per cent from the same period last year.

Smartphones

Huawei to ship more units as price surges dent China’s smartphone sales: report

As higher memory prices raise costs for China’s handset makers, a research firm predicted Huawei would be the only domestic brand to increase shipments.

Huawei Nova 15 Max smartphones at the Huawei Innovative Product launch event in Bangkok on May 7. Photo: EPA
Gen Z

Birthday parties at premium gyms? How Gen Z ditched drinking for wellness

Millennials may have embraced athleisure, but wellness is an identity for Gen Z – and gyms are their social clubs.

Equinox’s Sculpted Yoga. Gen Zs are increasingly turning to healthier forms of socialising. Photo: @equinox/Instagram
China property

Food Republic joins wave of foreign brands retreating in China

Singaporean operator leaves capital after 25 years as food court model loses favour amid rise of food delivery, shopping-mall evolution.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers recover in May but competition fierce amid overcapacity woes

Consumer willingness to embrace new tech, along with cash subsidies from local governments, gave the EV sector a much-needed boost.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s BYD aims for zero accidents with ‘God’s Eye’, vows crash cost coverage

EV giant pushes affordable autonomy with its system, aiming to make self-driving safer and accessible to mass-market consumers.

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A BYD booth at the Beijing Auto Show on April 30. Photo: AFP
United States

US key inflation gauge worsens, eroding Americans’ income, spending power

Inflation of 3.8 per cent in April was the highest since May 2023 amid high petrol prices and food costs.

Supermarket shoppers in Chicago, the US earlier this month. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
China food security

China hog prices, near decade low, seen squeezing profits amid deflation risks

Ministry data reveals nine-month slump in breeding stocks while top-listed companies face big financial hits as rising fuel and grain costs erode margins.

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China’s private sector

A new battlefront for KFC and its Chinese rivals: the lighter meal

Big-name fast-food chains are seeking to capitalise on a surge in demand in China for lighter meals.

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Banking & finance

Millions of Chinese consumers ditch their credit cards amid weak retail spending

Banks report there are 120 million fewer active credit cards in China with 687 million customer accounts, a dramatic drop from 2022’s peak.

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Chinese consumers are spending cautiously with 120 million fewer active credit cards users than a peak in 2022 as the nation experiences a slow economy. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong to see more mainland Chinese brands enter retail market, analysts say

In the first four months of the year, more than one fifth of new entrants in the city’s retail market were mainland brands, according to JLL.

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Fashion

Chinese fast-fashion juggernaut Shein to buy eco-friendly Everlane

The ‘jarring’ takeover bid arrives at a time when Everlane is struggling with weak sales and higher debt.

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United States

US jobless claims fall as lay-offs remain low despite economic uncertainty

Despite historically low lay-offs, the labour market appears to be stuck in what economists call a ‘low-hire, low-fire’ state.

Workers climb down from a building during a heat advisory on Tuesday in New York. Photo: AP
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Chery plans for 1m EVs sold abroad amid global energy crisis

Anhui-based carmaker anticipates 27 per cent increase in foreign deliveries in 2026 as battery ranges improve and oil prices rise.

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Employees work on a factory production line for Chery’s electric vehicles in China’s Anhui province. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Nio slams EV price wars as costs surge, defying cuts by rival Li Auto

Nio and Li Auto take different approach to pricing new models, with one executive praising ‘reasonable’ carmakers that raise prices.

China consumption

China’s unexpected retail slowdown shows Hormuz strains

Retail sales growth slumped in April, industrial output cooled and fixed-asset investments tumbled as high oil prices hit China’s economy.

Hong Kong property

Fresh concepts lift Hong Kong retail property as tourists and consumers return

Landlords betting on a diversified tenant mix – from pop-ups to ‘sportainment’ – to sustain growth in retail property market, analysts say.

Hong Kong’s first-quarter retail sales rose 12 per cent from a year earlier to more than HK$106, according to the latest official data. Photo: Eugene Lee
China travel

China’s hotel sector shines, poised to outperform through 2026 on strong demand

International hotel chains ride China’s travel rebound, posting gains as domestic demand and inbound flows strengthen.

Waldorf Astoria Shanghai Qiantan by Hilton. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

Oil shock fuels BEVs to 9 of top 10 in sales, with China brands overtaking Tesla

Battery EVs take nine of top 10 sales spots amid surging oil prices, giving local brands the edge and pushing Tesla down April charts.

Consumer protection in Hong Kong

Top-rated air cons in Hong Kong vary by 33% in cooling efficiency, watchdog finds

Models tested included seven reverse-cycle air conditioners, while rest were cooling-only units.

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