Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

DJI to shut its Hong Kong flagship store as city tightens drone rules

DJI to shut its Hong Kong flagship store as city tightens drone rules

The closure of the store, which opened to great fanfare in 2016, marks the biggest casualty of Hong Kong’s Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA) Order, which places stringent requirements on drone pilots to undergo training before they can be licensed to fly their machines.

The world’s largest maker of recreational aerial drones is shutting the DJI flagship retail store in Hong Kong, weeks after city authorities tightened regulations for pilots to qualify them to fly the gadgets.

DJI’s three-storey store at Tower 535 in Causeway Bay, measuring 10,000 square feet (929 square metres), will be permanently closed from August 16, to reflect “the company’s and market’s evolving needs” according to a notice that has been posted at the store’s entrance since August 9, adding that customers can still buy DJI’s drones from its online store as well as authorised dealers.

“We thank all the customers who have shown great support to us throughout the past few years,” the Shenzhen-based company said. “DJI will remain committed to our customers and partners in the Hong Kong market and around the world as we continue to develop the industry’s most advanced drones and creative camera technology.”

The closure of the store, which opened to great fanfare in 2016, marks the biggest casualty of Hong Kong’s Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA) Order, which places stringent requirements on drone pilots to undergo training before they can be licensed to fly their machines. Drones weighing between 250 grams and 7 kilograms have to be registered, and pilots must undertake short web-based training where they are instructed on the allowable flying altitude and maximum distance. Pilots who want to fly drones heavier than 7kg will require in-depth training and pass competency tests at their own cost.

A notice at the entrance of DJI’s flagship store in Causeway Bay on August 11, 2021.


Insurance would also be mandatory for drones that exceed 250 grams, with coverage ranging from HK$5 million (US$642,000) to HK$10 million for the largest machines weighing over 7kg.

The regulation takes effect in June 2022, with a six-month grace period to allow owners to familiarise themselves with the new rules.

A DJI spokeswoman said the closure in Hong Kong reflected the company’s evolving needs and had no connection with the new regulations, in an email response to query by the Post.

A DJI employee showing a drone during the opening of DJI’s flagship store in Causeway Bay on September 24, 2016.


DJI’s Causeway Bay store was to be the company’s third store after Shenzhen and Seoul, complete with space for pilots to test fly their gadgets at the space. The store carried DJI’s full range of products, including the US$899 Zenmuse Z3 camera drone, with displays of aerial photography.

It also housed a technical support centre and a dedicated space for holding workshops, seminars and special events.

DJI is not the sole retailer to exit Causeway Bay, the world’s most expensive shopping district with the top average rent, as retail sales in the city took a beating following Hong Kong’s street protests of 2019, and the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns starting last year.

Advertising for DJI’s flagship store on 29 August 2016 ahead of its opening.


Visitor arrivals to the city plunged by about 94 per cent last year to 3.57 million, causing retail sales to slump by 24.3 per cent to HK$326.5 billion in the same period.

Adidas in April vacated its shop at 36 Queen’s Road Central, measuring 13,000 square feet. Gap, Topshop and Esprit were among the international brands that have either shut in Central or exited Hong Kong altogether.

Other businesses have not been spared too. WeWork, the US real estate company that spearheaded the popularity of co-working space, shrank its property footprint in Hong Kong by more than half. The company abandoned 90,000 square feet (8,361 square metres) of space across eight floors also at Tower 535 in Causeway Bay, reducing its portfolio in Hong Kong by 56 per cent to 360,000 square feet. It was the co-working space’s first Hong Kong location.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×