YO Mart Renovation Works
A Fairytale Lodge in Tuen Mun Unveiling a Wet Market for All Generations
YO Mart is a featured wet market managed by Gaw Capital People’s Place. Located in Yau Oi Estate, Tuen Mun, YO Mart recently re-opened in June 2020 after four months of revitalisation works. Since taking over the wet market’s operations in 2018, People’s Place has made commitments to redefine the under-utilized wet market by diversifying the tenant pool, increasing the number of shops and bringing in a new look to the community. As an integrated part of a vibrant community hub, the new wet market has adopted a fairytale-inspired design featuring Eastern European architectural elements, introducing a brand-new shopping experience for visitors of all ages. YO Mart has also launched a one-stop mobile App as part of its customer loyalty programme, which provides data-driven customer insights for the roll-out of tailor-made marketing promotions. People’s Place strives to be an innovator in the community by making YO Mart a family-friendly, socially-inclusive, and environmentally-friendly wet market.
Fairytale-inspired Architectural Design Redefining a Traditional Wet Market in Local Community
People’s Place team initially found that the wet market had not made effective use of the available space, with certain shop-plots and the roof left perennially unoccupied. The market’s appearance, facilities, and functions were incongruous with our company’s operational vision. As a result, we made the decision to completely refurbish the market.
The market’s revitalisation works were completed in June 2020. The front entrance features irregular contours, creating a distorted effect that gives visitors the impression of being in a fairytale. The market’s interior is also fused with fairytale-inspired features, and its shops brought to life in a range of bright colours. Mushroom-shaped ornaments have been installed on the stall roofs, giving the overall shopping experience a distinctly dreamlike feel. Additionally, our team is hosting dedicated wet market tours for NGOs and neighbouring schools, giving children an insight into the market’s operations and thereby fostering a greater sense of belonging in the neighbourhood. We are confident that YO Mart and the nearby Inclusive Playground in Tuen Mun Park will complement each other in attracting a greater number of visitors into the area.
Expanding Shopping and Dining Variety while Preserving Traditional Staples
Prior to its refurbishment, the wet market was lacking in terms of diversity and quantity of trade mix, and consequently it was unable to meet the consumption and dining needs of the local neighbourhood. After a structural overhaul of the market’s interior, People’s Place has successfully streamlined the market’s shops layout and increased the number of stalls from 46 to 71, thus expanding the range of choices available to consumers. Common marketplace products such as fresh fish, meat, and vegetables are readily available, while consumers are now also able to shop for a wide range of other products such as frozen foods, dried seafood, fresh flowers, and hardware. Our team has kept roughly half of the previous tenants in the market, including mom and pop shops with a rich history within the community such as goldfish stores, hardware shops, papier-mache offering shops, and newspaper stalls. It is our belief that the continued operation of these stores is crucial towards preserving the community’s distinct spirit.
Furthermore, People’s Place has greatly expanded the range of food options on offer with a segment of the market allocated especially for F&B shops , allowing us to triple the number of restaurants in the market from 5 to 16. Previously vacant shop located in mezzanine floor will be converted into a restaurant that is due to open over the summer. Local residents are able to enjoy a full range of gourmet dining options, including dim sum, porridge, Cantonese roasts, beef brisket noodles, cart noodles, Chinese soups, Taiwanese specialty drinks, sushi, Southeast Asian cuisine, pasta, and signature dishes from Hong Kong. The revitalisation of the wet market has vastly improved overall hygiene, with a far brighter interior and newly installed anti-slippage tiles. All visitors can now enjoy a safer, more comfortable, and significantly enriched shopping and dining experience that appeals to all ages, including elderly, adults and children.
Dedicated YO Mart Mobile App Launching Digital Loyalty Programme with Exciting Rewards and Redemption
People’s Place has always sought to incorporate new technologies in order to provide better service for the neighbourhood. Inspired by our success in Lai Kok Shopping Centre, Cheung Sha Wan, we have introduced a digital loyalty programme for YO Mart. After registering as a member, those who spend at YO Mart will acquire loyalty points that can subsequently be exchanged for home appliances and various services such as free parking. Our team will also continue to employ Big Data in analysing the consumption patterns of the neighbourhood, so as to offer the local community a series of tailor-made marketing promotions in the future.
