A mall in Hong Kong’s premier shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui rented three floors to a dining and entertainment group for almost $900,000 a month, the biggest lease by size and value since the pandemic ended, according to a report.
The 80,000 square-foot space at Silvercord mall will be transformed into an anime-themed store featuring dining, retail and a play area, Hong Kong Economic Times reported, citing unidentified people. The site will be leased for HK$7 million per month and may include Japan’s Demon Slayer and One Piece, it said, without naming the lessee. The site was previously occupied by Hennes & Mauritz AB.
Mainland Chinese tourists are returning to the city after travel restrictions were lifted earlier this year. Visitor numbers increased from fewer than a million in January to almost 3 million in April, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Retail sales in April reached 92% of 2019’s level in the same period.
Commercial rents plummeted during the pandemic due to Covid curbs and restrictions on visitors. Leases in Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon fell 41% between 2019 and 2022, according to a survey by commercial property firm Cushman & Wakefield Plc. Tsim Sha Tsui overtook Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay as the city’s most-expensive retail district, the survey showed.
Read More: Chanel Adds New Hong Kong Retail Space as Tourists Return
Luxury brand Chanel leased a two-floor shop in a prime location in Causeway Bay in May.
