NEWS

MARKS & SPENCER OPENS ITS NEW FLAGSHIP STORE

The popular British retailer opened its new flagship store in Cityplaza last month, spanning an impressive 30,973 square feet. The new store offers a wider range of products for those who are missing home, including 270 new chilled food lines, a cheese chiller, more organic and gluten-free baked goods and most excitingly, a dedicated Percy Shop for the beloved character. Shoppers can also enjoy the new coffee-to-go counter if they fancy a well-earned break mid-shop.

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THE PAWN CLOSES ITS DOORS

Situated in the iconic Woo Cheong Pawn Shop in Wan Chai, The Pawn was a staple in Hong Kong’s restaurant scene. On September 13, the European brasserie stopped service and was taken over by the Classified Group. Plans have been announced for the unique venue to transform into a Chinese restaurant and bar. As a final farewell the team served an exclusive chef’s tasting menu celebrating its most beloved dishes.

REDRESS DESIGN AWARDS 2021 RESULTS

On a mission to reduce fashion waste, the Redress Design Awards is the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition, showcasing what is possible when emerging designs are given an opportunity to innovate around sustainability. This year was the 10th awards and received applications from designers in over 58 countries and regions. The final 10 competed in a fashion show on September 11 where emerging designer Jessica Chang from Taiwan took home the first prize. “Entering this complex industry as an emerging designer is daunting because, so often, everywhere we look we see bad news and complexity. We know we can bring change. Yet it is hard to magnify our big ideas as start-up designers. This award has given me confidence - we are all in this together to make a positive change,” said Jessica.

SHARK SPECIES PROTECTED IN HONG KONG 4.34 MILLION HONGKONGERS ARE NOW VACCINATED

Hong Kong’s lawmakers have voted in favour of classifying wildlife crimes including selling, buying and importing endangered shark fin species as organized and serious crime. This new law gives Hong Kong authorities the power to detect, disrupt, dismantle and ultimately deter the international criminal networks responsible for the unsustainable exploitation of endangered species. The city currently classifies 12 shark species as protected under this law including sawfishes, basking sharks, whale sharks, white sharks and hammerhead sharks. The Hong Kong Shark Foundation has stated this law as “a game changer in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade, not just for Hong Kong, but regionally and globally.” Hong Kong residents are slowly becoming more accepting of Covid vaccinations as the numbers of inoculated people climbs to 4.34 million, of which 3.81 million have received both doses. Local National People’s Congress Standing Committee delegate Tam-Yiu Chung says that he is optimistic that when Hong Kong reaches 5 million vaccinated residents by the end of the month, it would be enough to ease restrictions. The government also announced that they will allow vaccinated residents to return to the city from five additional countries and relaxed restrictions on travelers from mainland China. Of the 4.34 million, 1.57 million have received the Sinovac vaccine while about 2.41 million have opted for the BioNTech vaccine.