The 395-stall Victoria Park Chinese New Year Market, the city’s largest, was bustling with shoppers on Saturday, with the Post observing thousands in the area and growing crowd numbers as the day progressed.
But Lee Siu-ming, owner of Chun Shing Flowers Trading, which mainly specialises in orchids, said the crowds did not necessarily bring increased sales and that business was down by about 30 per cent compared with last year.
“People aren’t willing to spend,” he said. “I am negotiating prices with them till my gums bleed, but some of them still aren’t convinced.”
He cited a struggling economy and the continuing trend of Hongkongers shopping in Shenzhen and elsewhere in mainland China as possible reasons for the slump.
“The bestsellers are the six to eight stemmed orchid pots … not too big,” he added, pointing to the medium-sized pots at his stall, while lilies were also popular.
