Valentines Day not so rosy for florists as Hongkongers tighten belts amid economic uncertainties

“In past years, we saw people rushing to us to buy flowers as they were stuck in Hong Kong and were willing to pay more to tailor their own bouquets,” she said. “But this year half of the orders were placed online and customers were only willing to pay for the standard package.”

Selling the most expensive roses at a price of up to HK$2,000 (US$256), Leung said: “Previously one out of 10 customers would purchase this, but now only one out of 20 would.”

Hong Kong husband makes every day Valentine’s Day

Her shop has recently suffered its worst sales period in five years. She said the number of Christmas orders was half of that made in previous years. The number of orders made during Lunar New Year dropped by 30 per cent.

The florist added she was bearing higher operating costs because staff working on public holidays were entitled to double pay. She noted the delivery fees she had to pay rose by HK$20 to HK$50 due to a recent rise in tunnel tolls.

J&A Florist in Prince Edward got much fewer orders for Valentine blooms this year. Having bought 2,000 roses from the mainland Chinese city of Kunming, the store sold fewer than 600 as of Tuesday afternoon, according to shop owner Donson Ng.

More than 20 orders in total were placed so far this year, compared with at least 30 to 40 in previous years.

“Business this year has been poor, primarily because many people are no longer buying in Hong Kong,” 50-year-old Ng said, agreeing that consumers were cutting back under the current economic situation.

At his shop, 10 roses are priced at HK$480 without a rise, although the cost of flowers sourced from Kunming this year has increased.

But he said that on the mainland’s Taobao platform, nine roses were being sold for only 280 yuan (US$39). Customers could even arrange for pickup at train stations, he said, which further resulted in a decrease in competitiveness for local businesses.

Hong Kong clocks 540,000 tourist trips in first 3 days of Lunar New Year break

Among the shoppers at the market was 42-year-old Adrian Ho from the logistics sector. He told the Post he bought pink roses for HK$1,888 to thank his wife for taking care of their three children, aged between eight months and five.

“I want to say thank you and I love you to my wife. Having small gestures like this will help take a break from the life of raising kids each day,” he said.

According to restaurant managers, fewer people plan on treating their loved ones to expensive dinners.

James Yip Tsz-hin, business development manager running four branches of Western restaurants Top Blade Steak Lab, said they received 10 per cent fewer reservations on Valentine’s Day compared with last year.

The chefs had tailor-made a steak with chocolate and red wine sauce for the special but did not roll out a “lover’s menu” to keep the price affordable, he said.

“Some people will make reservations at the last minute,” Yip said. “But the overall business has performed worse than last year … Running a business is like a marathon. It is difficult to sustain relying on those one or two festive days.”

Tiff Lo Man-wah, owner of Wan Chai French bistro Jean May that offers a special menu for lovers, said a “good number of bookings” were made for Wednesday but the rest of the week had been “quiet”.

“It definitely helps because it is like a spike up but it’s not going to rescue businesses that are going south,” Lo said.

Hong Kong Lunar New Year bounce boosts restaurants, but 1 owner to shut outlets

She noted that cheap deals on the mainland, the poor economy and Hongkongers picking up their travel habits had drawn patrons away.

Lo also said she heard that several restaurants were thinking about closing their doors after making their last fortune in Lunar New Year.

Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said he believed the catering industry’s business would drop slightly to HK$400 million this year from the HK$430 million recorded on the last Valentine’s Day.

He noted some Hongkongers might opt to spend the day in mainland China or had yet to return from overseas trips, while some would prefer to spend less given the gloomy economy.

Wong added that some mainland tourists would travel to Hong Kong on Wednesday, which was still a public holiday across the border, and generate sales for the industry.

Starting on Wednesday, inflatable heart installation “Chubby Hearts Hong Kong ” by artist Anya Hindmarch will be on display at Statue Square in Central until February 24.

Pop-up Chubby Hearts will also appear at various locations and times including the flower market in Mong Kok, Lam Tsuen Wishing Square in Tai Po and Belcher Bay Promenade in Kennedy Town.

A bazaar featuring music performances will also be held at Tai Po Arts Centre, where couples spending more than HK$99 can show their love publicly on the display screen. They can also purchase and put love locks on a nearby footbridge to make wishes, while free roses will also be distributed.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51ku6bD0mifqKaXYriwusZoqqibmZrBunvAq6uim5yafHR%2BlGpvbnFfq66tsc2toKedo2KxosWMp6atZaOkerO70rJkn6Sfp7a0wNJmn6iml6C8r7PEq6pmrJmctbWxzWaZnqSkqHqiucidZJ6bn6O8rrXCZqynm5WnwaK1za2gnqs%3D