Many mainland tourists, including parallel traders, frequent Hong Kong’s pharmacies to purchase goods to bring back across the border, hence why the city now has to regulate the most dangerous product that is baby formula.
The boom in tourists, to many Hongkongers’ increasingly visible dismay, has created an unnaturally high number of pharmacies, far exceeding how many residents actually need.
A Ming Pao report revealed that Yau Tsim Mong has the most pharmacies out of any district in Hong Kong – 494, approximately one store for every 638 residents.
(Photo: Ming Pao)
They point out one particular stretch of Argyle Street, which, rather ridiculously, has eight different pharmacies (belonging to only six different companies).
Ming Pao defines a pharmacy as licensed pharmacies and drug retail outlets, but not convenience stores.
Wan Chai District, with its 183 stores, has the second highest ratio, at one pharmacy for every 837 people.
In third place is Central and Western District with 180 stores, or one pharmacy for every 1,407 people.
In comparison, Sai Kung has one pharmacy for every 3,828 residents, the lowest ratio out of any district.
The report also found that Hong Kong has 3,294 pharmacies in total, with an average ratio of one pharmacy for every 2,182 people.
According to Ming Pao, some economists believe that if the number of mainland tourists is restricted, many pharmacies will shut down, space owners will be forced to reduce rent costs, and non-pharmaceutical stores will start taking back the streets.
Photo: Swire via Flickr
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