Shopping centres and on-street shops : the benefits to developers and local shoppers

Shopping is a daily necessary activity to most of the people in Hong Kong. From the old days when people went shopping in the bazaars to the recent days when most people go shopping in shopping centres, the dominant mode of shopping changed. The effects brought by different kinds of shopping facilities to people are worth studying. It is not difficult to observe the trend that old retail developments in old districts are mainly shopping streets while new retail developments in new towns are mainly shopping centres. Some voices from the public are pushing the retaining of old street shops and old street cultures despite the property developers tend to build shopping centres in their new projects. The benefits from shopping streets and shopping centres to shoppers and developers have been studied in this dissertation by empirical and conceptual background study, survey to shoppers and shop operators and information provided by property agents and employees of private developers. From socialization point of view, the comprehensive tenant mix and comfortable shopping environment in shopping centres attract shoppers to stay longer in shopping centres than in shopping streets which increase the chance of interaction among shoppers thus improve their level of social lives. However, the stability of shops and shop operators in shops at shopping streets is beneficial to building up community strength within the neighbourhood. The relationships among shoppers and shop operators and among shop operators in shopping streets are stronger than that in shopping centres. For the benefits other than socialization aspect, shops in shopping streets provide cheaper goods due to the relatively lower rents and lower overhead costs in shopping streets while shopping centres provide better accessibility and better facilities due to their better management. For the benefits to developers, developing shopping centres is beneficial to them in the ways of increasing their rental income when leasing retail premises and boosting the selling prices of residential properties where shopping centre is a bundle of the development. In some of the projects of official organizations, such as Urban Renewal Authority, we can see that benefits from these two shopping facilities can be merged together. For example, the design of shopping streets and the buildings around and setting up greenery areas along shopping streets can improve the air-conditioning problem and improve the attractiveness of staying to shoppers. Private developers also introduced old shops to their shopping centres. Product prices of old shops remain the same in shopping centre as in shopping streets. However, the relationship among shoppers and shop operators cannot be copied easily even if the old shop signs are the same. Time is needed for building the strength within a community.published_or_final_versionHousing ManagementMasterMaster of Housing Managemen