If you were hoping to mark today’s public holiday with a bit of retail therapy, maybe even swinging by the mall to check out the new Apple Watch, then a.) you probably haven’t been following the news very closely, and b.) prepare to be disappointed.
At least 30 malls across the city have announced that they will be closing their doors to shoppers amid apparent fears that they will become the latest battlegrounds between police and protesters as the city braces itself for planned demonstrations coinciding with China’s National Day today.
According to a list compiled by HK01, most of the malls closing today are in busy shopping districts like Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui, while some are owned by MTR Corp or are close to MTR stations that are being shut over fears of unrest. Others are owned by property developer Sun Hung Kai, whose New Town Plaza mall in Sha Tin was the site of clashes in July.
Some of the major malls to reportedly close their doors are IFC Mall, SOGO Department Store, Mira Place, and Fashion Walk.
New Town Plaza also announced this morning that it would be closed amid reports that protesters are planning on staging a rally in the area this afternoon. Following July’s clashes, New Town drew the ire of protesters who faulted it for allowing riot police into the mall.
Similarly, malls like YOHO in Yuen Long and Hysan Place in Causeway Bay, both of which are also closed today, are also near where protesters are expected to gather.
The full list of closed malls so far includes the following:
New Town Plaza
YOHO Mall
IFC
APM
V CITY
WTC MORE (World Trade Center)
MOKO (New Century Plaza)
Tsuen Wan Plaza
K-POINT
Metropolis Plaza
Sun Hung Kai Centre
Tsim Sha Tsui Square
Telford Plaza;
Tsing Yi City
Citylink
Mira Place
K11
Lee Stage Square
Leighton Center
Hysan Place
Sogo Department Store
Fashion Walk
Lee Garden One-Six
Amoy Mall
Yalan Center Mall
Hollywood Live Business Center Mall
Jialefang Shopping Mall
Discovery New City
Kornhill Plaza
Temple Mall
