Stores Stand Empty as Hong Kong Protests Scare Shoppers Away

  • Retail rents fall to five-year low as landlords feel the pain
  • One-in-10 shops in Causeway Bay are vacant, Midland says
People pass by burning debris in Causeway Bay on Sept. 15.Photographer: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

In Hong Kong’s usually bustling Causeway Bay shopping district, one in 10 stores now stand empty.

The months of often violent street protests have scared away tourists -- Chinese tour groups are down 90% from a year ago -- and kept locals at home.