Hongkongers pack major supermarkets amid ‘price war’ on eve of Mother’s Day

ParknShop and Wellcome offer 12 per cent off purchases, while HKTVmall tries to lure customers with up to 15 per cent off at physical stores

Hongkongers packed the aisles of supermarkets with carts full of daily necessities as the city’s major grocery chains engaged in what some called a “price war” ahead of Mother’s Day.

CK Hutchison Holdings-backed ParknShop and Jardine Matheson’s Wellcome each offered 12 per cent off everything in their stores for those who spent a certain amount on Saturday.

HKTVmall, the city’s popular online shopping platform, entered the fray and offered an even bigger discount – up to 15 per cent off – for those who shopped at one of its physical stores, as well as for home delivery and self-pickup.

At a Wellcome store in Sheung Wan, 50-year-old civil servant Ricky Ngai was seen with a shopping trolley filled with a dozen cans of Campbell’s soup.

Aside from the overall 12 per cent discount on purchases over HK$168 (US$21.50), the store was also giving away free baked beans, chicken broth and Indomie instant noodles to customers who bought six cans of soup.

“I bought 12 so I could get two of the free gifts,” he said with a big smile.