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In his latest column, Richard ponders whether declining fortunes in Hong Kong and the factories of the Far East is good news for the rest of the world.
Richard Gottlieb is the founder and CEO of Global Toy Experts, a consultancy to US and international toy companies. He is also the publisher of Global Toy News, a web-based magazine founded in 2009 that covers toy industry news and provides resources to the toy industry. Richard co-hosts The Playground Podcast and publishes The Toy Intelligencer report. Here, he shares one of his latest columns with Toy World readers:
Those of us who have traveled to Hong Kong over the decades have experienced it as a beautiful, hyper-energized, safe and affluent city. That was then, and this is now, and the stories coming out of Hong Kong are a bit depressing.
As China now has excess capacity with fewer buyers (thank you, Russia) and prices hovering near 2019 levels, the bottom line is that hotel rates should be down, food costs should be down, container rates are way down and factory pricing should be as well. It’s a buyer’s market for the toy industry. Take advantage of the moment because you can bet things will change again.
One of my contacts has just returned from a trip to the city. Here is how he describes conditions in Tsim Sha Tsui area, the beating heart of the Hong Kong toy industry:
“The Tsim Sha Tsui area has many shops closed, very few tourists, even though there are no restrictions, no quarantine, no tracing, no Covid testing and no mask required anywhere.”
I feel bad for my friends in Hong Kong, but now is a good time to go because conditions like these mean that hotel room rates and dining out will be very reasonable for those on buying trips.”
Read Richard’s full article on Global Toy News here.
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