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Hong Kong's long-established hairy crab shops are facing growing competition from cross-border purchases and online shopping, with one Causeway Bay retailer reporting a 10 to 20 percent drop in business this year.
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A visit by Sing Tao Headline, a sister publication of The Standard, to two traditional hairy crab shops found mixed sales as the seasonal delicacy returned to the market.
The owner of one shop said it had attracted few new customers this year and was relying mainly on regulars, with business down 10 to 20 percent from the same period last year.
She said sales of smaller, more affordable crabs had fallen by 20 to 30 percent, partly due to economic pressures, online shopping and the growing trend of buying hairy crabs on the mainland.
In previous peak seasons, some customers had ordered more than 1,000 crabs as gifts. But both the quantity and size of orders had declined this year, she said.
She also noted that hotel guests and tourists who used to buy crabs before leaving Hong Kong had largely disappeared.
November is usually the busiest month for the business, and she said she was somewhat concerned about sales.
However, demand for medium-sized crabs weighing five to six taels or more remained stable, while orders for larger crabs had edged up.
Ahead of the Chung Yeung Festival, the shop increased orders for crabs weighing nine to 10 taels to meet demand from customers seeking a more substantial seasonal feast.
She said older customers and Shanghai natives were particularly fond of large crabs, often gathering with family to enjoy a crab feast several times a year.
She added that the quality of this year's crabs was better than last year's, with the crabs already in good condition early in the season.
Meanwhile, the owner of another shop said supplies were plentiful and prices were similar to previous years, while quality had also improved.
The shop, which has been operating for 50 to 60 years, sells tens of thousands of hairy crabs annually. Male crabs weighing five to six taels are currently its best-sellers, priced at about HK$150 each.
He said the shop's business had remained broadly stable, partly because online sales accounted for around 30 to 40 percent of its revenue.
While large orders for group gatherings had become less common, smaller orders from customers buying crabs to eat at home had increased, he said.
Although more Hongkongers were heading to the mainland to buy hairy crabs, he cautioned that quality was not always guaranteed. He said hairy crabs sold in Hong Kong were generally of better quality.
He added that most customers preferred to inspect crabs in person before buying, switching to online purchases only after they had developed confidence in a retailer.
