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Battle of the Christmas decorations for Hong Kong malls

AFP, Hong Kong
IN the race to extract cash from
Christmas shoppers, Hong Kong's myriad shopping malls have taken to heart the maxim that you must spend money to make money when it comes to decorations this festive season.
From two-storey-high polar bears to giant Disney characters, the southern Chinese city is awash with increasingly elaborate displays as luxury outlets bid to outdo each other and get wealthy mainlanders through the door.
The competition between shopping malls is "very fierce", said Karen Tam, assistant general manager for marketing at the Harbour City shopping mall located on the bustling Kowloon waterfront.
Harbour City spent more than I IK$5.0 million ($645,000) this year on a display that includes Disney characters from popular movies such as "Toy Story" and "Lilo and Stitch"
placed among huge Christmas decorations.
Tam said the mall's budget will only increase in coming years, as it vies with its rivals to boost Christmas footfall and snare as many local and tourist shoppers as possible.
"The budget for Christmas decorations has to go up because it is really serious competition in Hong Kong and China," Tam said. "We have to be creative, we have to bring in new elements, we have to attract people's eyeballs."
The IFC Mall, located in the city's Central financial district, has set up decorations inspired by New York City's Central Park, with grassy knolls and stationary bicycles that light up when shoppers climb on and pedal.
APM in east Kowloon has constructed a whacky Christmas town featuring the Bear Dog characters from Japanese designer Shiro Nakano, as well as Warhol-esque soup cans topped with colourful
Christmas trees.
Malls have kept their holiday designs - and their budgets - a closely guarded secret until the last possible minute, adding to the pressure on those responsible for the over-the-top displays.
"We had tried to check what the other malls are doing for the season, but everyone keeps it all very confidential," said Rebecca Woo, head of marketing at Kll Art Mall.
Kll, which doubles as a shopping mall and an art gallery in the tourist hotspot ofTsim Sha Tsui, had an environmental twist on this year's festive installation which was six months in the planning and costing HK$4.0 million ($516,000).
The mall opted for a two-storey tall polar bear made of steel pipes, accentuated with multi-coloured lights and fake foam snow, which Woo said was designed to raise awareness of the impact of human activities on the environment.