Business

At MegaBox shopping mall, Giuliana, a border collie known for the breed’s its intelligence and agility, sat quietly in a pet stroller while her owner, Gabriella Ng, bent over to straighten the hem of her dress, ensuring Giuliana could present her best performance during their walk show on Sep. 27. As a fashion designer and content creator, Ng took one month to design her and Giulian’s dress to match each other stylishly for the showcase during the Pet Walk Show 2025. “It cost about HK$10,000 for these two dresses,” said Ng, pointing at her piece. With an average cost of HK$700, Ng shared that Giuliana has around 20 items of clothing. According to Exhibition Group, the organiser of another pet show, 80.1% of about 1,000 respondents reported an increase in expenditure over the past 12 months, with average monthly spending reaching HK$2,086, up 6.3% from HK$1,962 the previous year. The proportion of people spending between HK$1,501 and HK$2,500 per month on pet care rose from 27.5% to 32.4%. Additionally, 79.1% of respondents expect their spending to increase within the next six to 12 months, over half anticipating at least a 10% rise. A trend toward premium, personalised pet care is redefining Hong Kong’s pet consumption economy as owners allocate larger  budgets into their “fur kids,” boosting the related products and services market. The global dog clothing market reached US$1.5 billion (HK$11.7 billion) in 2024, according to internal data and industry insights from 6Wresearch released in April. Tomas Yuen, a retired professor from the Department of Economics and Finance at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, noted the spending shift marks a broader change in consumption patterns. Most pet owners prefer high-quality and luxurious services and products for their “fur kids,” which could change the market’s business model. “They care about the …

Every time Liu Busi, a retail investor in the initial public offering (IPO) market in Hong Kong, checks the result of his new stock subscription, he feels a mix of uncertainty and excitement. Joining the IPO subscription game this year amid intense oversubscription, Liu has subscribed to 25 new listings and was allocated shares in 17 of them, including CATL and Zijin Gold, the two largest  IPOs in 2025, with approximately HK$ 41 billion and HK$ 25 billion raised respectively. Of the 17 allocations, 14 have gained value after subscription, with his best performing IPO investment - Bloks, a Chinese toy company , having generated HK$ 11,059 for him as of Nov. 6. However, Liu noticed a sharp change in his subscription success rate after Hong Kong Stock Exchange's (HKEX) new reforms on IPOs in August.  The HKEX implemented new optimisation measures on stock allocation and subscription mechanisms, including stipulating that issuers must allocate at least 40% of the shares in the IPO to the book-building placement portion and introducing two public subscription mechanism options. Before the reform, Liu was allocated shares in 10 out of 13 subscriptions, a 77% success rate. After the reform, he could only secure allocations for 7 out of 12 subscriptions, a 58% success rate.  The city has seen 69 IPOs raise over HK$160.4 billion as of Sept. 30, a 183% surge compared with last year. According to Deloitte China's analysis, the city is projected to see over 80 IPOs raising HK$250 billion to HK$280 billion for the full year 2025. HKEX did not comment on the reduced success rate of subscriptions by retail investors when asked by TYFP reporters. In an earlier news release, Katherine Ng, HKEX Head of Listing, said the exchange “has sought to enhance the robustness of the IPO pricing and …

Clutching a concert ticket for her idol, Amy Cao, 21, made her way straight to the Kai Tak Sports Park without any hesitation on the morning of Sep. 27. Having travelled from Shenzhen for 1.5 hours, Cao’s face betrayed no trace of travel fatigue, but showed unconcealed excitement and anticipation. "I'm incredibly excited!” said Cao, stating that this is the closest location for her of Seventeen’s world tour." I saw reviews on social media saying the Kai Tak Sports Stadium has excellent acoustics and is incredibly spacious, perfect for a large crowd. I'm looking forward to the venue." Located on the former runway area of Kai Tak Airport, Kai Tak Sports Park covers approximately 28 hectares, making it the largest sports infrastructure project in the city's history, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of spectators. According to the government’s estimate, the Kai Tak Stadium and Kai Tak Arena recorded about 590,000 spectators for all pop concerts as of May 31, 2025. Since its commissioning, the two venues have hosted 16 large-scale concerts by international and Asian performers. Edward Leung, a Legislative Council member, pointed out that Hong Kong is taking advantage of its unique location, attracting concerts, especially for Korean artists who struggle to gain approval in mainland China. "Moreover, Hong Kong's visa-free access for travellers from most countries makes it an ideal platform for international cultural and sports exchanges," he added. Echoing Leung, Tina Wong, the chairperson of the Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association, mentioned that the upgraded sports facilities in the newly established stadium have provided Hong Kong with more opportunities to host major national events. Since opening, the Kai Tak Stadium and Kai Tak Arena have hosted a total of 15 sports events, including rugby sevens, snooker, and other large-scale competitions. The Hong Kong government elevates the …