Hong Kong’s malls must evolve into green sanctuaries to stay relevant

Retail is making a comeback in Hong Kong. Deloitte China reported an encouraging HK$203 billion (US$25.9 billion) in sales volume in the first half of 2026, beating expectations. Accordingly, they forecast the retail market to reach HK$412 billion by the end of this year. A retail revival should directly translate into reduced vacancies for the city’s bricks-and-mortar stores. However, while high street vacancies dropped to 9.1 per cent, the lowest since 2020, vacancies in prime shopping centres...