Today, if you take a walk down central London’s Oxford Street, don’t be surprised at how many stores there are owned by Hong Kong investors. Indeed, since 2013, the amount of these investors has almost doubled (at 188 percent) and today spans 9.7 percent of all stores. It is likely that this trend will continue given that there has been a deterioration in retail sales in Hong Kong.
However, Hong Kong investors might need to think twice. Given that rents in the UK – and indeed throughout Europe – are on an upscale, it’s not so easy to keep going there either. However, it is still an attractive option due to the reason rents are going up and that is because more tourists are coming to the area.
Also, given that China’s current economic situation is not that attractive and that rents on key streets in Hong Kong are increasing, there is no reason to see a drop in this trend anytime soon.