Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) announced today (November 29) that, in order to alleviate the mortgage repayment burden of affected owners at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, the HA has immediately relaxed the provisions regarding mortgage repayment periods and repayment amounts under the Deed of Guarantee. Such relaxation allows banks and financial institutions participating in the provision of mortgage loans for subsidised sale flats (participating financial institutions) to offer special mortgage arrangements to the mortgagors of subsidised sale flats with premium unpaid at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, including deferred repayment of mortgage instalments or principal. The HA has informed participating financial institutions and will issue letters to them confirming the arrangements.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (November 29) mourned the victims of fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po and expressed profound condolences.
At 8am, the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, together with principal officials, Non-official Members of the Executive Council and civil servants, observed a three-minute silence at the forecourt of the East Wing of the Central Government Offices (CGO) to pay solemn tribute to those who tragically lost their lives in the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.
The Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council, who came to Hong Kong to assist in the disaster relief works, Mr Xu Qifang; the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, the Deputy Director of the HKMAO of the State Council and the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Mr Zhou Ji; and Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the HKMAO of the State Council, Mr Nong Rong, also observed the silence.
Subsequently, Mr Lee, Mr Xu, Mr Zhou, Mr Nong and principal officials signed the book of condolence at the CGO to pay tribute to the victims.
From today until December 1, the Home Affairs Department will set up condolence points in all 18 districts for the public to sign condolence books to mourn for the victims. The condolence books will be available for signing from 9am to 9pm.
During the mourning period, national flags and regional flags displayed at all government buildings (including offices of the HKSAR Government outside Hong Kong) will be flown at half staff. All celebration activities organised by the Government will be cancelled or postponed as appropriate. Government officials will reduce their attendance at non-essential public activities.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Police today (November 29) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Tin Shui Wai.
Lai Sun, aged 88, went missing after he left his residence in Shek Po Tsuen yesterday (November 28) afternoon. His family made a report to Police on the same day.
He is about 1.4 metres tall, 68 kilograms in weight and of fat build. He has a square face with yellow complexion, bald with short grey hair on two sides. He was last seen wearing a black long-sleeved jacket, dark-coloured trousers, grey sneakers and a brown cap.
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Persons Unit of New Territories South on 3661 1176 or 9689 6212 or email to rmpu-nts-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Fire Services Department (FSD) announced today (November 29) that the government yesterday established an Inter-departmental Fire Investigation Task Force regarding the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. Led by the FSD, the task force members comprise of representatives from the Police, the Buildings Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Independent Checking Unit under the Housing Bureau, Labour Department and the Government Laboratory, as well as fire engineering professionals.
The task force held its first meeting yesterday, with two main objectives: first, to investigate the cause of the fire and how it spread; second, to determine the factors that led to heavy casualties. After the meeting, task force members also visited the fire scene at Wang Fuk Court for a site inspection.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released the latest figures on retail sales today (December 1).
The value of total retail sales in October 2025, provisionally estimated at $35.2 billion, increased by 6.9% compared with the same month in 2024. The revised estimate of the value of total retail sales in September 2025 increased by 6.0% compared with a year earlier. For the first 10 months of 2025 taken together, it was provisionally estimated that the value of total retail sales remained at a similar level when compared with a year earlier.
Of the total retail sales value in October 2025, online sales accounted for 14.6%. The value of online retail sales in that month, provisionally estimated at $5.2 billion, increased by 27.2% compared with the same month in 2024. The revised estimate of online retail sales in September 2025 increased by 27.2% compared with a year earlier. For the first 10 months of 2025 taken together, it was provisionally estimated that the value of online retail sales increased by 9.5% compared with the same period in 2024.
After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales in October 2025 increased by 5.3% compared with a year earlier. The revised estimate of the volume of total retail sales in September 2025 increased by 4.8% compared with a year earlier. For the first 10 months of 2025 taken together, the provisional estimate of the total retail sales decreased by 1.5% in volume compared with the same period in 2024.
Analysed by broad type of retail outlet in descending order of the provisional estimate of the value of sales and comparing October 2025 with October 2024, the value of sales of electrical goods and other consumer durable goods not elsewhere classified increased by 24.6%. This was followed by sales of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts (+9.5% in value); other consumer goods not elsewhere classified (+9.7%); food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco (+6.0%); commodities in department stores (+5.8%); wearing apparel (+0.9%); medicines and cosmetics (+3.8%); footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (+1.1%); and optical shops (+4.4%).
On the other hand, the value of sales of commodities in supermarkets decreased by 1.8% in October 2025 over a year earlier. This was followed by sales of motor vehicles and parts (-20.1% in value); fuels (-8.7%); books, newspapers, stationery and gifts (-0.6%); furniture and fixtures (-2.3%); and Chinese drugs and herbs (-6.6%).
Based on the seasonally adjusted series, the provisional estimate of the value of total retail sales increased by 3.0% in the three months ending October 2025 compared with the preceding three-month period, while the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales increased by 1.4%.
Commentary
A government spokesman said that the recovery in retail sales gathered strength in October. The value of total retail sales rose by 6.9% over a year earlier, picking up further from the increase in the preceding month. Sales of most broad retail outlet types continued to grow.
Looking ahead, ongoing improvement in local consumer sentiment and sustained notable growth in visitor arrivals should continue to render support to retail businesses.
Further information
Table 1 presents the revised figures on value index and value of retail sales for all retail outlets and by broad type of retail outlet for September 2025 as well as the provisional figures for October 2025. The provisional figures on the value of retail sales for all retail outlets and by broad type of retail outlet as well as the corresponding year-on-year changes for the first 10 months of 2025 taken together are also shown.
Table 2 presents the revised figures on value of online retail sales for September 2025 as well as the provisional figures for October 2025. The provisional figures on year-on-year changes for the first 10 months of 2025 taken together are also shown.
Table 3 presents the revised figures on volume index of retail sales for all retail outlets and by broad type of retail outlet for September 2025 as well as the provisional figures for October 2025. The provisional figures on year-on-year changes for the first 10 months of 2025 taken together are also shown.
Table 4 shows the movements of the value and volume of total retail sales in terms of the year-on-year rate of change for a month compared with the same month in the preceding year based on the original series, and in terms of the rate of change for a three-month period compared with the preceding three-month period based on the seasonally adjusted series.
The classification of retail companies follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification (HSIC) Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes.
These retail sales statistics measure the sales receipts in respect of goods sold by local retail companies and are primarily intended for gauging the short-term business performance of the local retail sector. Data on retail sales are collected from local retail companies through the Monthly Survey of Retail Sales (MRS). Local retail companies with and without physical shops are covered in MRS and their sales, both through conventional shops and online channels, are included in the retail sales statistics.
The retail sales statistics cover consumer spending on goods but not on services (such as those on housing, catering, medical care and health services, transport and communication, financial services, education and entertainment) which account for over 50% of the overall consumer spending. Moreover, they include spending on goods in Hong Kong by visitors but exclude spending outside Hong Kong by Hong Kong residents. Hence they should not be regarded as indicators for measuring overall consumer spending.
Users interested in the trend of overall consumer spending should refer to the data series of private consumption expenditure (PCE), which is a major component of the Gross Domestic Product published at quarterly intervals. Compiled from a wide range of data sources, PCE covers consumer spending on both goods (including goods purchased from all channels) and services by Hong Kong residents whether locally or abroad. Please refer to the C&SD publication “Gross Domestic Product by Expenditure Component” for more details.
Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact the Distribution Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7400; email: mrs@censtatd.gov.hk).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
A Government spokesman said yesterday (November 30) that the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements, led respectively by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, and the Deputy Financial Secretary, are making every effort to press ahead with the support and relief work and investigations on the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.
The Government has been offering an emergency cash subsidy of $10,000 per affected household since November 27 evening to provide immediate relief for affected residents. As at 1pm yesterday, the Government has registered more than 1 900 households for the subsidy and disbursed the emergency cash subsidies to 1 420 households. In addition, the Government will provide a token of solidarity of $200,000 to the family members of each deceased victim, and a living allowance of $50,000 will be provided to each affected household starting this week.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Leasing arrangements announced for public market stalls in December The date of the auctions and the number of stalls are as follows:————– Auction date: December 9 (Tuesday) (am) Number of stalls: 86————– Auction date: December 9 (Tuesday) (pm) Number of stalls: 106————————————————– Auction date: December 10 (Wednesday) (pm) Number of stalls: 119————————————————– Auction date: December 11 (Thursday) (am) Number of stalls: 60——————- Auction date: December 11 (Thursday) (pm) Number of stalls: 15——————— Auction date: December 12 (Friday) (am) Number of stalls: 56——————— Auction date: December 12 (Friday) (pm) Number of stalls: 93
Districts in which the market stalls are located8/F, Lockhart Road Municipal Services Building, 225 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong KongRoom 301-302, 3/F, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Nam Cheong Offices and Vehicle Depot, 87 Yen Chow Street West, Kowloon9/F, Kwai Hing Government Offices, 166-174 Hing Fong Road, Kwai Chung, New Territories4/F, Shek Wu Hui Municipal Services Building, 13 Chi Cheong Road, Sheung Shui, New Territories7/F, Sai Kung Tseung Kwan O Government Complex, 38 Pui Shing Road, Tseung Kwan O, New TerritoriesUnits 1201-1207 and 1220-1221, 12/F, Tower 1, Grand Central Plaza, 138 Sha Tin Rural Committee Road, Sha Tin, New Territories3/F, Tai Po Complex, 8 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po, New Territories3/F, Yeung Uk Road Municipal Services Building, 45 Yeung Uk Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories1/F, Tuen Mun Government Offices Building, 1 Tuen Hi Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories2/F, Yuen Long Government Offices, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long, New Territories A spokesman for the FEHD said, “Bidders or applicants for the market stalls must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong. To allow more people to bid for or select the stalls and increase customer choices by enhancing the diversity in terms of the variety of stalls, there will be a restriction on the number of stalls to be rented in the same market by a single tenant. Any person who is currently a stall tenant is not allowed to bid in the first round of the auction for any stall in the same market, and will only be allowed to bid for one stall in the second round of the auction or to select one stall in the same market on a first-come, first-served basis. The existing tenants under the new three-year fixed-term tenancy scheme (i.e. those persons who became stall tenants through the market open auctions after August 2022) are allowed to bid for a stall in the auction or select a stall on a first-come, first-served basis in the same market, but shall vacate the current stall and return it to the FEHD before the effective date of commencement of the new tenancy agreement.”
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Green Tech Fund opens for sixth round of applications The GTF Secretariat will hold a webinar on January 15, 2026, to introduce the application procedures and priority themes of the GTF. Details about application for the GTF are available on its website (www.gtf.gov.hkIssued at HKT 11:00
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Government mourned the victims of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po and expressed profound condolences at the Central Government Offices yesterday morning (November 29), with national and regional flags at all government buildings flying at half-mast. Members of the public also visited condolence points in various districts to sign condolence books and mourn the victims.
Meanwhile, multiple government departments under the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements, led respectively by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, and the Deputy Financial Secretary; continue to work tirelessly, pushing forward follow-up support and relief efforts on all fronts. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and all relevant departments of Guangdong Province for their staunch support and prompt assistance, including the provision of numerous pieces of necessary equipment to the HKSAR, such as drones, exoskeleton devices, protective gear, and medical supplies. This significantly assisted the relevant departments in their emergency response and the follow-up efforts. On emergency accommodation support for residents affected by the fire, as of this afternoon, around 517 residents have been accommodated, through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels/camps or hotel rooms. Another 1 038 residents have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or the Housing Society. Furthermore, two shelters remain open for residents in need. The ICU has continued to deploy manpower to conduct on-site sampling at Wang Fuk Court and four other Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) courts that have been issued notices under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme, including Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin, Ching Lai Court in Sham Shui Po, Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po, and On Kay Court in Kwun Tong. Samples collected from different positions of the protective nets have been sent to the Government Laboratory for testing yesterday. In the four HOS courts other than Wang Fuk Court, in case any flammable material is identified on the external walls, the ICU would instruct the contractors to remove it immediately. The Labour Department (LD) launched a territory-wide special enforcement operation since November 28, targeting the fire protection facilities and fire emergency preparedness of building maintenance work sites with large-scale scaffolding erected. This includes checking if protective screens (also known as scaffold nets) on scaffolds are in compliance with recognised standards for fire-retardant materials to ensure occupational safety of workers. As of November 29, the LD inspected 46 work sites, with a total of 39 written warnings and two improvement notices issued.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Government launched a public consultation today (December 1) on the proposed updates to Schedules 1 and 2 to the Toys and Children’s Products Safety Ordinance (Cap. 424) to implement up-to-date safety standards promulgated by the relevant standardisation bodies for toys and children’s products listed in Schedule 2 (Schedule 2 products).
The Ordinance stipulates that a person must not manufacture, import or supply a toy or a Schedule 2 product unless it complies with all the applicable requirements contained in any one of the safety standards (international standards or standards adopted by major economies) specified in Schedule 1 (applicable to toys) or Schedule 2 (applicable to Schedule 2 products) to the Ordinance. The Government keeps in view any updates or amendments to the safety standards so as to apply up-to-date and operative versions of the standards to toys and Schedule 2 products supplied in Hong Kong.
As the safety standards specified for toys and for four classes of Schedule 2 products, namely (i) children’s high chairs and multi-purpose high chairs for domestic use; (ii) children’s paints; (iii) playpens for domestic use; and (iv) wheeled child conveyances have been updated, the Government proposes to adopt the up-to-date versions of those safety standards under the Ordinance. Details of the proposals are available on the website of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau at www.cedb.gov.hk.
Members of the public are welcome to send their views on the proposals in writing to the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau at 23/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong, or by fax to 2869 4420, or by email to tcpso_standards_updates@cedb.gov.hk, on or before December 31, 2025.