Luxury supermarket chain City鈥檚uper is closing its last remaining food court in Hong Kong鈥檚 Times Square shopping centre, as the city鈥檚 sluggish economy continues to take a toll on the catering and food production sectors.
The Amazing Food Hall in the upscale mall and office complex in Causeway Bay will be closed from June 30, with the space returned to the landlord upon lease renewal, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.
The closure means City鈥檚uper will no longer operate any food courts after the company shut its 22-year-old CookedDeli food hall in Harbour City, a shopping complex in Tsim Sha Tsui, in February last year, following the expiration of its lease.
A City鈥檚uper spokeswoman said the decision to close the food court 鈥 which currently offers items such as sushi, grilled meat and noodle dishes, alongside a wine and sake cellar 鈥 was made in light of changing consumer patterns and the chain鈥檚 long-term portfolio strategy.
The food and drink section of the adjacent supermarket in Times Square would be renovated to include a new seating area and was expected to reopen by mid-September, she added.
But the company did not specify how many staff members would be affected by the closure or the terms of their severance packages.
A worker at the food hall said dozens of staff were affected and that the company did not offer any help in relocating to other positions.
She also said she had not been told about any compensation arrangements, but felt lucky that she could secure a sales position at another major supermarket in the district.
The food court in Times Square underwent a renovation in 2019.
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said that changing consumer preferences were partially driven by the surge in cross-border shopping in mainland China, as Hongkongers look for value amid declining spending power.
He said food courts in the city were often more expensive, while those in mainland shopping centres offered better variety and fresher dining experiences.
鈥淗uman traffic flow in Causeway Bay at night is now much thinner, which has had a significant impact on Times Square,鈥 he added.
The closure adds to a string of recent shutdowns in Hong Kong鈥檚 food and drink industry, including the abrupt collapse of the 33-year-old King Parrot Group, the winding down of the 33-year-old congee chain Ocean Empire Food Shop, and the closure of the 44-year-old cha chaan teng institution Daniel鈥檚 Restaurant, which closed its last outlet in Mei Foo this May.
On Tuesday, Hong Kong bakery chain Taipan Bread & Cakes, which invented 鈥渟now skin鈥 mooncakes, closed all of its branches after 41 years in business, with authorities estimating it owes at least HK$16 million (US$2 million) in unpaid wages and severance pay.