Luxe shoppers in China return as quarantine eases

Masked shoppers outside a shopping mall in Beijing on Wednesday. Store traffic in China is creeping back up after falling as much as 80 per cent at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year. PHOTO: REUTERS
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HONG KONG • Chinese shoppers are slowly returning to the glitzy malls and boutiques where they have been driving growth of the global luxury industry as coronavirus quarantine steps are eased.

Store traffic in China is creeping back up after falling as much as 80 per cent at the virus outbreak's peak there earlier this year, hammering sales of brands ranging from Burberry to Gucci.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 13, 2020, with the headline Luxe shoppers in China return as quarantine eases. Subscribe