HONG KONG: Exhibitors at this year's Food Expo struggled to rake in the big bucks as customers were less willing to spend on expensive goods.

Many businesses said sales were down compared to previous years. The expo closed yesterday.

Ms Tang, an employee at the Pak Shing Tong, a Chinese Medicine retail chain store, said business has not been good this year.

"People are milling around the exhibition and our booth. Most customers seemed to be spending on cheaper goods; not so many are willing to buy the more expensive goods," she said.

Another healthcare company, Eu Yan Sang, said sales have dipped slightly compared to previous years.

By comparison, exhibitors selling cheap canned or processed foods were jam-packed with visitors.

Ms Ng, an employee at instant noodle company Nissan, said people responded well to a mega-sale on the last day of the fair.

"People are grabbing our value packets by the dozens. I expect they will be all gone at the end of the day," She said.

Retiree Mr Tou said he attends the Food Expo every year to stock up on every day goods and food. He said the prices for oatmeal, for example, are half of that in supermarkets.

Ms Leung, 19, a university student, also went to the food expo to stock up on canned goods. She spent over HK$400 on food and thinks the fair is a good place to purchase value goods.

The expo drew more than 350,000 visitors, a 15 per cent increase from last year, said Raymond Yip, assistant executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

Meanwhile, visitor turnout and general sentiment towards the city's first ever tea fair was overwhelmingly good. Around 80,000 visitors, including more than 9,500 buyers, took part in the three-day event.

"The impressive turnout for our inaugural tea fair deserves a round of applause. The numbers show that the fair has successfully served as a trading platform for tea, enhancing the role of Hong Kong as a tea-trading hub in Asia," Yip said.

A study showed that among 288 tea buyers, 96 percent were satisfied with the fair and 66 percent noted it was the first time they had taken part in any tea fair in Asia.

More than 60 percent of interviewees agreed the fair provided a good platform to source new products, meet with existing suppliers, find new suppliers and obtain market updates. Over 90 percent said they intend to attend the fair again next year.

Over 90 percent of interviewees agreed Hong Kong has a comprehensive system of regulations on beverage quality testing and assuring and that Hong Kong suppliers provide quality services in marketing and package services.

(HK Edition 08/18/2009 page1)