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RTHK
22-07-2025
- Business
- RTHK
Book fair vendors have final shot at boosting sales
Book fair vendors have final shot at boosting sales Exhibitors at the book fair offer discounts and special promotions to boost sales. Photo: RTHK Many booklovers flocked to the fair to find bargains. Photo: RTHK Exhibitors at the Hong Kong Book Fair made a last-ditch effort to boost sales on Tuesday, offering additional discounts and promotions on the final day of the annual event. The fair, held alongside the World of Snacks fair and the Sports and Leisure Expo at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, didn't open on Sunday when Typhoon Wipha skirted past the city. Alva Au, director of Cosmos Books, said the publisher was offering special offers on certain books to try to make up for the business disruption over the weekend. 'Our business has been greatly affected by the typhoon. Saturday and Sunday are [traditionally] the two days with the best sales at the book fair. And I don't think we can make up for the loss on the Sunday. I think it's about a 20 to 30 percent [drop in business],' she said. 'In the beginning, we offered 20 percent off. And today, we selected some special books and can offer 30 percent off. We hope it can attract more people.' To boost sales, major publishers like Commercial Press, Chung Hwa Book and Ming Pao also slashed prices on selected books, to as low as HK$10 each. There were also special offers like "HK$100 for 10 books" and extra discounts for more purchases, as vendors tried to sell as many books as they could. The fair was fairly quiet in the morning, but crowds of people started flocking there in the afternoon looking for bargains. A visitor surnamed Kwok planned to spend about HK$1,000. 'I came a few days ago and I had a great experience. I came back to find some discounted books,' she said. Another bookworm, a woman surnamed Yu returned to the fair with her son after going alone last week. 'The discounts today are much larger compared to last time,' she said. 'I returned to the same publisher to make purchases. Previously, they offered about 20 to 30 percent off, but this time it's up to 60 percent off. I'm buying books that were previously only on my wish list or under consideration. I have a budget of about HK$2,000 to HK$3,000 today.'
RTHK
19-07-2025
- Climate
- RTHK
T8 Northeast Signal issued at 12:20am
T8 Northeast Signal issued at 12:20am At midnight, Wipha was about 280km east-southeast of Hong Kong. Image courtesy of the Observatory The Observatory issued the Number 8 Northeast Gale or Storm Signal at 12:20am on Sunday, as Severe Tropical Storm Wipha intensified into a typhoon and edged closer to Hong Kong. At midnight, Wipha was about 280km east-southeast of Hong Kong. It was forecast to move west or west-northwest at about 25km per hour towards the coast of Guangdong, and move "rather close to the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary". Local winds were expected to reach gale to storm force on Sunday, with frequent heavy squally showers and thunderstorms, the Observatory added. "Depending on the distance between Wipha and Hong Kong, and the change in local wind condition, the Observatory will assess the need for issuing higher tropical cyclone warning signals Sunday morning," senior scientific officer Lee Shuk-ming said. Members of the public have been urged to pay attention to the latest weather information from the Observatory and complete all precautionary measures as soon as possible. KMB and Citybus said overnight services would be suspended from 2am onwards. The MTR announced it would arrange four extra departures for the Airport Express at 1:15am, 1:45am, 2:15am, and 2:45am to take passengers to the city. In terms of cross-boundary travel, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will close at 3:30am, while shuttle buses between Lok Ma Chau and Huanggang Port will continue to provide limited service. Classes of all day schools and child care centres will be suspended on Sunday, the Education Bureau said. The Trade Development Council said the ongoing Book Fair, Sports and Leisure Expo, and World of Snacks in Wan Chai will be suspended. If the Number 8 signal is lowered at or before 4:30pm, the fairs will reopen within two hours.
HKFP
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- HKFP
HKFP Lens: Annual Hong Kong Book Fair opens as Breakazine makes final appearance
The 35th edition of the week-long Hong Kong Book Fair opened its doors on Wednesday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in Wan Chai. The Hong Kong Book Fair, which runs until Tuesday, is the city's largest book event, showcasing a wide range of publishers and titles. It is held concurrently with the Sports and Leisure Expo, and World of Snacks, with this year's theme: 'Food Culture, Future LIiving.' Over 770 exhibitors are participating in the three events, according to a press release from the book fair. Dozens of booths lined the halls of the HKCEC, each stocked with rows of books from various publishers and genres. Visitors rolled around trolley carts and suitcases filled with books, some using them as makeshift chairs amidst the bustling fair. Readers of all ages, from children to the elderly, could be seen flipping through books, magazines, and other publications. Others opted to try out a virtual reality experience organised by the Geotechnical Engineering Office. Some publications, such as Breakazine, are making their final appearance at the annual fair. The Hong Kong youth and culture magazine ceased publishing in April, citing increasing production costs and changes in people's reading habits, according to a statement published on Facebook in July last year. The city's independent book fair also returned for its third year on Thursday, with a total of 14 publishers taking part. Hunter Bookstore, in Sham Shui Po, and other bookshops are hosting the event, which runs until Sunday. Leticia Wong, owner of Hunter Bookstore, started the alternative book fair in 2023, inviting publishers excluded from the Hong Kong Book Fair in the previous year. At least three independent publishers were rejected from participating in this year's Hong Kong Book Fair. Two of the barred publishers, Bbluesky and Boundary Bookstore, were asked by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), organiser of the Hong Kong Book Fair, to remove certain titles from their shelves at the fair last year.
