A new Russian supermarket opened its doors in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Saturday, marking a significant step in trade and cultural exchanges between the two sides.
“In recent years, we’ve seen growing interest from Russian businesses in exporting food products to Hong Kong and the GBA,” said Anatoly Kargapolov, consul-general of Russia for the Hong Kong and Macao SARs, referring to the 11-city cluster of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Speaking at the store’s opening ceremony in Mongkok, Kowloon, Kargapolov said Russia highly values its trade relations with Hong Kong, and Russia is the SAR’s largest trading partner in central and eastern Europe with the trade turnover reaching $3.3 billion last year.
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Located at 34-36, Sai Yeung Choi Street South, the supermarket spans about 1,300 square feet (121 square meters). Authorized by the government-owned Russian Export Center, it offers a wide range of certified Russian goods ranging from food and beverages, to cosmetics and healthcare products.
Kargapolov said he hopes the shop will not only provide great access to high-quality Russian products, but also offer a unique Russian experience for Hong Kong residents.
Maxim Fedotov, chief representative of the Russian Export Center’s China office in Shanghai, told China Daily he is excited to see the store operating in Hong Kong following the center’s success in launching similar stores on the Chinese mainland.
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“I hope more Hong Kong consumers can try Russian products,” Fedotov said, adding he is also talking to local supermarket operators to bring selected Russian goods to the shelves in Hong Kong for the convenience of local consumers.
To distinguish itself from stores on the mainland, the Hong Kong shop focuses more on goods like seafood, daily necessities and organic products, said Huang Nannan, general manager of trading company Hof Int’l (HK) -- a partner of the Russian Export Center for the store in Hong Kong.
Konstantin Privalov, director of Fesco Ocean Management Hong Kong, said the subsidiary of Russia’s transportation group Fesco will try to bring more Russian products to Hong Kong consumers.
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A 50-year-old shopper, surnamed Leung, told China Daily she found the “Made-in-Russia” shop quite intriguing, and the prices of products, such as chocolates, to be a great deal.
“I had been to a Russian supermarket in Shenzhen before, but this shop (in Hong Kong) has a lot of different products. I would recommend it to my friends,” said Leung.
