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Hong Kong beauty crackdown prompts more claims of coercive sales
Customs is investigating six complaints involving disputed sums from HK$1,800 to HK$100,000, after Opatra London suspended operations across four Hong Kong branches.
More consumers in Hong Kong have come forward with allegations of coercive beauty sales tactics, including credit card abuse, unwanted physical contact, and pressure to buy expensive products, following a crackdown on the local operations of UK-based beauty brand Opatra London, according to SCMP Economy.
SCMP Economy reports that after the arrest of two managers at the Hong Kong operator on coercive sales practices, at least one senior executive resigned. The brand’s four Hong Kong branches, including locations in Sha Tin, Yuen Long, and Causeway Bay, have suspended operations.
Customs officers are continuing to investigate six customer complaints, which involve disputed sums ranging from HK$1,800 to HK$100,000. Legal experts cited by SCMP Economy warned that such conduct could violate Hong Kong’s Trade Descriptions Ordinance, which prohibits harassment, coercion, and misleading behavior used to pressure consumers into purchases they might not otherwise make.
SCMP Economy also described one account from a 22-year-old university student, John Cheung, who said he was pulled into an alleged “beauty trap” on Hankow Road in Tsim Sha Tsui in May, after a few seconds in-store.