Speaker

Mr. Aamir Sakhia

Independent Advisor, Strategy and Sustainability

Aamir Sakhia was most recently the Chief Operating Office of Lane Crawford, leading the Enterprise pillar and overseeing Logistics and Warehouse, Technology, Store Design and Environment, Merchandise Planning, and the Lab Concept operation. He was also one of the key senior executives to formulate and lead the company’s sustainability strategy. With 30 years of experience in luxury goods, retail and merchandising in the US and Asia, Mr. Sakhia worked previously at Macy’s Inc., DFS Group Ltd., and Burberry in various roles including merchandising, brand development and planning. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and International Business from McGill University and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the Stern School of Business, New York University.

Speaking at

Wed 23 Oct 3:30 PM — 4:15 PM (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Main Plenary – A Bull vs Bear Debate – Hong Kong’s Retail Market Landscape – What’s Next?

Ms. Sarah Cooper, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Mr. Tom Andrews, Henderson Land Development

Mr. Phil Kim, Jerde Partnership

Mr. Andrew Moore, Schroders

Mr. Aamir Sakhia,

While retail figures have rebounded after reaching historic lows in 2020 due to the pandemic, the preferences and behavior patterns of both tourists and residents have changed. The rise of "budget travel" and Gen Z's propensity to spend money on experiences rather than physical goods presents major challenges, thus vacancy rates across the city are at an all time high, with large numbers of visibly empty shop fronts.
During our two-on-two debate session, the teams will address the following key questions:

• Is high rent killing retail?
• Can retail tourism be brought back?
• Is luxury retail the solution?
• Can budget travel revitalize the trade?
• How can Hong Kong local trade survive in the face of leakage to Shenzhen?
• Is the existing offer adequate, or does Hong Kong retail need to be re-invented?