3,800 restaurants, shops to offer July 1 promotions to celebrate Hong Kong handover to China
Around 3,800 restaurants and shops have volunteered to participate in the July 1 promotions to celebrate the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China on Tuesday, a legislator said.
The number of participants this year is higher than last year, when around 2,000 restaurants and shops took part in offering the July 1 promotions, Tommy Cheung, a pro-establishment lawmaker representing the catering industry, said at a press conference on Wednesday, as reported by local media.
Some restaurant chains like Tai Hing Group will offer a 29 per cent discount on all dine-in meals on Tuesday, which means customers will only pay 71 per cent of their bills, while some others will limit such discounts to certain dishes, according to a list released by the government.
This is the third consecutive year that the catering industry will be giving July 1 discounts, Cheung said.
Other businesses, such as the Wellcome supermarket and the 7-Eleven convenience store, have agreed to join as well.
All restaurants and shops volunteered to take part, Cheung said.
While offering discounts may not benefit the participating businesses in terms of revenue, the main purpose of the campaign is to celebrate the handover, he added.
'Hong Kong citizens, it's your loss if you don't spend before or on July 1,' Cheung said in Cantonese.
Winston Yeung, chair of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades, told HKFP on Thursday that the group assisted in organising the campaign.
'The main purpose of the campaign is to celebrate July 1, and we also hope [it can help] encourage more people to stay in Hong Kong for consumption amid the business slowdown,' Yeung said in Cantonese.
'The new trend of people heading north has impacted all kinds of restaurants. Some residents save money during weekdays in Hong Kong and then go to mainland China to spend it during the weekends,' Yeung said.
the habit of people heading to mainland China for entertainment during holidays and weekends.
Restaurant closures are 'really severe… We've seen a series of restaurant chains shutting down over the past few months – a phenomenon we've never seen before,' Yeung said.
Bakery chain Taipan closed all its 12 outlets on Tuesday after operating for 41 years.
In early June, Hong Kong catering group King Parrot also announced its shutdown.
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