Fair vendors upbeat about sales

Stall owners at the Victoria Park Lunar New Year fair are optimistic sales will be good this year as dried goods and fast-food stalls return after four years.

With the seven-day annual fair kicking off yesterday, stall owners said they are not worried that people heading to the mainland will affect sales as it is difficult for those coming from the mainland to carry flowers across the border and many locals will still buy at the fair.

The biggest Lunar New Year fair opened at 8am with 175 wet goods and 158 dry goods stalls.

Flower stall owners said sales met their expectations despite rain in the morning. But the newly implemented height regulation caused inconvenience when laying out the stalls and moving their stocks, they said.

Participating in the fair for the fourth time, a flower stall owner said sales were stable and the quality of their flowers are good as the flowering period was not disrupted despite of the cold snap last week.

"We grow our flowers indoors so they are not affected," he said.

The height of dry goods and fast-food stalls are capped at three meters while wet goods stalls must not exceed 4.5 meters.

"The regulations are inconvenient to us, especially when we have to move our stocks around and carry them to customers," he said.

Another stall worker surnamed Leung said he had to be more cautious because of regulations.

"I cannot predict the sales this year as more regulations are implemented with all the required applications of certificates and licenses. It has made it more difficult to operate the business," he said. "The rules also limit the space we can put our products around the stall. I hope the weather will get better to boost our revenue."

Despite more people expected to spend their holiday in the mainland, Leung is optimistic that sales will not be affected.

"Loyal customers return every year. It is also difficult to carry flowers across the border. I am not that concerned about it," he said.

This year's fair saw the reemergence of dry goods stalls for the first time since 2019. Dry goods stalls operated by secondary school students said sales exceeded their expectations.

"Customer flows have exceeded my expectation and most of them are willing to spend money," said Bosco Kwan, student union president of Tang King Po College in Wan Chai.

"I think the fair is a collective memory for Hongkongers and an important event for our schoolmates. We hope this can encourage more people to support the local economy."

One of the four fast-food stalls sells popular Chinese "baked milk tea" and snacks from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand.

Stall owner Ng presented a "maid menu set," in which customers could take pictures with the 10 helpers after purchasing drinks. "The fair is a big event for young people. We all hope to spend our time happily here," Ng said.

Customs officers distributed pamphlets to stall operators at various Lunar New Year fairs to remind them not to sell infringing goods.

"We will conduct inspections in various districts and all 15 Lunar New Year fairs," said Nick Tse Kim-hung, a divisional commander at the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau of Customs and Excise Department.

Meanwhile, some restaurants in Shenzhen were almost fully booked for Lunar New Year's Eve on Friday, with many customers from Hong Kong, according to reports.

charlotte.wu@singtaonewscorp.com