{
  "id": 5547062,
  "title": "Dairy Queen to make Hong Kong comeback with 4 stores. Is it scooping up cheap rents?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/dairy-queen-to-make-hong-kong-comeback-with-4-stores-is-it-scooping-5547062",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-04T11:30:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post-hong-kong",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3366423/dairy-queen-make-hong-kong-comeback-4-stores-it-scooping-cheap-rents"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "American ice cream chain Dairy Queen plans to expand its presence in Hong Kong by opening four new stores in the fourth quarter of this year. This move comes as part of a broader expansion plan as the company navigates the recent wave of closures among food and retail businesses in the city. The chain, which has been operating since 1938, will introduce its flagship store at One Causeway Bay shopping center on Hong Kong Island in November, followed by three more outlets in Kowloon, the New Territories, and the outlying islands before the end of the year. The company emphasized that these locations would strategically cover the four main areas of Hong Kong - Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories, and the outlying islands.\n\nThis expansion marks Dairy Queen's return to Hong Kong after a brief stint in Causeway Bay in 1979. The company stated that it has developed a new store concept tailored for the Hong Kong market, featuring five product lines such as milkshakes, parfaits, and distinctive ice cream cakes. One of the star offerings will be the signature soft-serve dessert, which the brand describes as \"thick enough to hold when the cup is turned upside down,\" made using an exclusive full-fat dairy mix and an air overrun of approximately 40 percent to maintain its texture.\n\nEdwin Lee Kan-hing, founder and chief executive of Bridgeway Prime Shop Fund Management, noted that Dairy Queen's entry into the Hong Kong market is timely, given the recent decrease in retail rents and property values. This decline in costs has created a more favorable environment for foreign brands venturing into the market, even as traditional businesses facing challenges due to outdated business models continue to shut down. Notable examples include the closure of numerous branches of the Star Seafood Restaurant Group in 2025 and this year, as well as the 35-year-old Metropol Restaurant in Admiralty, which closed its doors in September of the previous year.\n\nLee also highlighted that commercial rents in core districts of Hong Kong have dropped by 60 to 70 percent from peak levels back in 2013 and 2014. With lower rental costs and robust tourist spending power, more foreign brands are likely to enter Hong Kong, he said. \"It would not be surprising if two or three out of every 10 new outlets eventually close,\" he added. Lee also pointed out that Dairy Queen's strategy of opening four branches across four different districts of the city is a marketing tactic aimed at gaining rapid visibility. The company also sees the warmer weather as a reason for more people to consume ice cream, with a single cup typically costing just a few dozen dollars. The recent surge in tourist arrivals, with Hong Kong welcoming 31.22 million visitors in the first seven months of 2026, an 11 percent increase compared to the previous year, further fuels this expansion strategy. Retail sales in the city also continued their upward trend, with an 8.9 percent year-on-year increase in the first seven months of 2026.",
  "summary": "American ice cream chain Dairy Queen will open four Hong Kong outlets in the fourth quarter of this year, as part of an ambitious expansion plan amid the widespread closure of food and retail shops. Dairy Queen, an 85-year-old brand, said on Friday that it would launch its flagship store at the One Causeway Bay shopping centre on Hong Kong Island in November, followed by three other outlets in…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
        "title": "3 easy wins to modernise Hong Kong’s education system",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/3-easy-wins-to-modernise-hong-kongs-education-system",
        "published": "2026-09-04T01:30:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}