AEON's Hong Kong $12 Stores Slash Prices and Shut Four Outlets

AEON's discount retail brands Living Plaza and Daiso Japan in Hong Kong announced that, from 1 August, all items priced at 200 yen or above will be reduced by roughly 10 percent, with price cuts ranging from HK$5 to HK$20 depending on the original tier. For example, a HK$25 item will fall to HK$20, a HK$50 item to HK$40, and a HK$100 item to HK$90. Items priced at 150 yen and 250 yen remain unchanged, and products without specific yen or HK$ labels continue to be sold at the HK$12 price point.

The price adjustment accompanies a contraction of the group's discount retail footprint: four stores have closed this year – the Belvedere Garden outlet in Tsuen Wan, the Siu Hei Court store in Tuen Mun, the Shek Lei shop in Kwai Chung, and the Nan Fung Plaza branch in Hang Hau. While these closures reflect pressures from a weaker Japanese yen and high operating costs in Hong Kong, AEON's Mono Mono brand is expanding with new branches across the city. Public reaction is mixed, with some shoppers lamenting the loss of the $12 price anchor and others acknowledging the high rents and staffing expenses that drive retail pricing.