Hong Kong’s first-store appeal grows as more Japanese, South Korean and Thai brands arrive

Japanese, South Korean and Thai brands have increased their share of new entrants in Hong Kong’s retail property market by 7 percentage points to more than one-third in the first nine months of 2026, while the demand for shops from mainland Chinese brands has slipped, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

A slew of new brands helped lift the combined share of Japanese, South Korean and Thai brands to a three-year high, according to Cushman, which said it expected the trend to continue.

This year,...