Hong Kong Luxury Sales Down in 1Q

RAPAPORT... Retail sales of jewelry and other luxury items dropped inHong Kong in the first quarter, amid ongoing caution in the consumer market. Revenue from jewelry, watches, clocks and other valuablegifts fell 2.7% year on year to HKD 22.38 billion ($2.85 billion) for the threemonths ending March 31, the municipality's Census and Statistics Departmentreported last week. Sales in all retail categories slipped 1.2% to HKD 128.42billion ($16.37 billion). "Retail sales declined slightly on a year-on-year basis...inthe first quarter as a whole, reflecting the cautious consumption sentimentamid various external uncertainties," a government spokesperson said. Challenges in the retail sector will continue in the near term, the spokesperson predicted. However, stable employment and increased tourism to Hong Kong should help drive growth. Proceeds from jewelry, watches, clock and other valuablegifts decreased 2.6% to HKD 6.7 billion ($854.4 million) in March, while totalretail sales fell 0.2% to HKD 39.73 billion ($5.06 billion) for the month. "The decline in March narrowed somewhat from that in Januaryand February combined," the spokesperson added. In the first quarter, the total number of tourists to HongKong jumped 17% to 18.2 million, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Ofthose, 14.6 million visitors came from mainland China. In March, tourism toHong Kong also climbed 17% to 5.9 million, with 4.5 million arriving from themainland. Image: A shopping district in Hong Kong. (Pixabay)