As football fans prepare to snap up over 180,000 tickets up for sale on Fifa’s website this week, Hong Kong intrepid’s entrepreneurs and businesses are gearing up for the windfall profits they’re expecting from the world’s biggest football event. Those who can’t fly all the way to Brazil to watch the event are expected to head to the malls in Hong Kong...where all 64 World Cup matches will be shown LIVE. Shop owners expect at least a 20 percent uptick in sales of World Cup related memorabilia.
As frenzied football fans snap up World Cup tickets on Fifa’s website from this week . Hong Kong intrepid businesses are latching on to the windfall opportunity of the world’s biggest football event. Here in Mong Kok, sportswear retailer Jimmy Wong isn’t missing a beat. The 43 year-old started selling these football jerseys since December, and they’ve been selling like hotcakes since.
And to get the biggest bang on his buck, Wong is setting up a pop-up store in this mall in Kowloon East from next week. Even this mall itself is gearing up for the month-long event. APM has set up huge video screens, where it plans to broadcast live all 64 World Cup matches.
Mall operator Sun Hung Kai expects sales to reach over 45 million U-S dollars in those 32 days, and attract up to 10 million visitors to the mall.
And there’s also something for those that just want a World Cup selfie or two. This five-meter tall Japanese anime character Kojiro Hyuga from “Captain Tsubasa” stands mighty big in one of the upscale malls smack in the middle of the world’s priciest shop rents, in Causeway Bay. He sports an “Adidas Battle Pack – Brazil”, newly released by the sporting company in time for the World Cup event. It’s an added attraction next to the huge Apple store nearby, and also a reminder of all the hype surrounding the event.
Hype it is not, far as Jimmy’s concerned. He’s expecting to rake in 20 to 30 percent sales here in Hong Kong over the next month - from an event that’s happening half way around the world in Brazil.
