“Retail Technology Adoption Assistance Scheme for Manpower Demand Management” 1st Year Update

The Retail Technology Adoption Assistance Scheme for Manpower Demand Management (ReTAAS) has approved funding of around 80 per cent of its processed applications since its launch in last December. The total amount of funding approved is $3.23 million up to the end of November 2015.

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), Secretariat of the scheme, reminds retailers that the next cut-off time for applications will be 30 January 2016.

To alleviate the manpower shortage problem of the retail industry, the HKSAR Government introduced the $50-million ReTAAS in December 2014 to help the industry adopt relevant information and communications technology and other technologies to enhance productivity and manage manpower demand. Up to the end of November 2015, the scheme has received a total of 149 applications and has processed 120 of them, amongst which 95 were approved (79.1%).

Retailers of clothing, footwear and leather articles account for the largest share of the grantees (15.8%), followed by food and beverages (13.7%); and household equipment (e.g. textiles, building renovation materials, wall and floor coverings, electrical household appliances, furniture etc.) (13.7%).

Many of the first batch of grantees are close to their project completion recently. For example, a pet product seller has used the approved fund to install a point-of-sale system to connect its online-to-offline platforms to enhance efficiency and save manpower; and set up a closed-circuit television system to enable 24-hour monitoring of the security of the physical store without extra manpower. The initiatives have assisted the company’s expansion from an online shop to a physical store.

Over the past 12 months, HKPC has been promoting the scheme through different channels. On top of holding regular thematic forums and seminars, the scheme’s ambassadors have introduced the scheme to retailers in various districts upfront.

Applications for ReTAAS are accepted all year round with vetting being held every three months. For more information, please visit the scheme website: www.retaas.hkpc.org; or contact the Secretariat at tel.: (852) 2788 6262 or email: retaas_sec@hkpc.org. For other media enquiries, please contact Felix Chan of HKPC’s Corporate Communication and Marketing Division at tel.: (852) 2788 5036 or email: felixchan@hkpc.org.

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Mr Jonathan Ho
General Manager
Corporate Communication and Marketing
Tel: (852) 2788 6390
Fax: (852) 2788 5056
Email: jonathanho@hkpc.org
Website: www.hkpc.org

17 December 2015