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  • Hong Kong’s long run of retail sales decline continued in September

    Hong Kong’s long run of retail sales decline continued in September

    Hong Kong’s September retail sales fell 6.9 percent year on year, reflecting the continued impact of a change in consumption patterns, government data showed.

    Sales fell to HK$29.57 billion ($3.8 billion) in a seventh consecutive month of decline after a revised 10 percent decline in August, an 11.7 percent fall in July, a 9.7 percent fall in June, an 11.5 percent drop in May, a 14.7 percent drop in April and a 7 percent decline in March.

    A government spokesman said the near-term performance of the retail sector would continue to be affected by the change in consumption patterns of residents and visitors.

    “Nevertheless, an improved outlook for the Mainland economy following the recent introduction of a wide range of stimulus measures, and a possible easing of the Hong Kong dollar alongside the US dollar with the commencement of the US interest rate cut, would be conducive to boosting sentiment and supporting spending.”

    The largest rate of decline in Hong Kong retail sales in September was in the jewellery, watches, and valuable gifts category, where turnover fell by 17.9 percent.

    In volume terms, retail sales fell 8.7 percent year-on-year in September, compared with a revised 11.7 percent in August.

  • Burger King slammed for ‘racist’ ad promoting Vietnamese burger

    Burger King slammed for ‘racist’ ad promoting Vietnamese burger

    The clip shows several people tying and failing to eat a burger with large, red chopsticks. A caption accompanying the video read “Take your taste buds all the way to Ho Chi Minh City with our Vietnamese Sweet Chilli Tendercrisp.”

    The video, shared by Maria Mo via the account @mariahmocarey, has received more than 2.7 million views. Mo told that she shared the clip as she was tired of large corporations portraying Asians in an offensive manner.

    “I could not believe that such a concept was approved for such a big, well-known company. It says a lot about what kind of demographics they must employ across the board for their ads.”

    Other social media users were quick to slam the fast foot retailer for making fun of a utensil that has been used across Asia for thousands of years.

    Viet Thanh Nguyen, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Vietnamese-American novelist, shared the clip with the comment “What’s worse, this ad or using chopsticks in your hair?”

    The advertisement was later removed from all of Burger King NZ’s social media platforms.

    Respond to the controversy, Burger King released a statement, saying: “The ad in question is insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion. We have asked our franchisee in New Zealand to remove the ad immediately.”

    Burger King New Zealand’s Chief Marketing Officer James Woodbridge expressed regret.

    “We are truly sorry that the ad has appeared insensitive to our community. We have removed and it certainly does not reflect our brand values around diversity and inclusion.”

    Burger King entered the Vietnamese market in 2011 but has struggled to win over local consumers. The firm hoped to have 60 outlets in the country by 2016, but as of 2018 had only 11.

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