Business

Once targeted by officials, street vendors make unexpected comeback in China

Published

6 years ago

June 6, 2020

BEIJING (Reuters) – Three weeks ago, Beijing authorities swooped in on Shan Peng and her makeshift street stall, seizing her merchandise – yogurt and casual pants – and even her electric tricycle.

She was used to police evictions.

“Just raise your gun an inch, sir, and we paddlers would be able to get by,” she would say, begging them to let her off.

In the same busy alley today, the 51-year-old was selling shrink-wrapped bacon out of a cardboard box – unharassed.

Shan hoped to take home at least 100 yuan ($14) a day. She has mouths to feed – her elderly mother, a dog she rescued from a shelter, and herself, a cancer patient.

Street stalls, seen officially as a blight on China’s modernising urban landscape, are making an unexpected comeback in a year of rare economic pain.

At the annual session of parliament last month, the livelihoods of ordinary people were widely discussed. Afterwards, Premier Li Keqiang told reporters 600 million people still live on monthly salaries of 1,000 yuan.

The spectre of mass unemployment has sharpened the focus of China’s top leadership on low-income groups with little financial backup to cope with job losses.

In a U-turn, authorities said last week local governments will not be assessed by the number of roadside vendors in their cities this year. In the past, municipal officials were awarded high marks for eradicating hawkers.

The premier also gave his blessing. During a visit to a seaside town in Shandong province, Li said the “street stall economy” was the light of humanity and the vitality of China.

Ready, get, set

With uncharacteristic speed, cities like Shanghai and Chengdu have taken steps to promote their street stall economies. Even Wuhan – former epicentre of China’s COVID-19 outbreak – joined in as the coronavirus threat receded.

E-commerce giants pledged support. Alibaba and JD.com said they would sell merchandise to street-stall owners on credit. Pinduoduo will offer discounts on a range of “must-haves” for setting up a stall such as flashlights and small fans.

Wuling Motors said a new mini truck specially designed for street stalls received more orders on Wednesday alone than all of May, official media reported. Its Hong Kong shares rose over 200% this week.

Dongfeng Motor Group and Jiangling Motors Corp (JMC) said some of their vans can be modified to suit vegetable sellers or BBQ street food vendors.

Meanwhile, a PDF book of unknown authorship on how to be a successful street peddler found fame on social media this week.

According to “The Secret Manual of Street Stall Business”, only the latest mobile phones must be sold, and there should be no displays of bras and panties, for “no young girl would dare to buy them in the open”.

Lunch money

Some economists say street stalls will not make much difference to gross domestic product, but reflect the enormous pressure on the government to stabilise employment and curb any social unrest.

“It’s an emergency and temporary solution to the unemployment woes brought on by the coronavirus,” said Nie Wen, economist at Shanghai-based Hwabao Trust.

Wang Kang, 38, works at a mobile payment company. But with his salary slashed by 30%, he started hawking t-shirts and toys in the evenings.

“I’m here because I need the money,” he said. “Even if it’s just tens of yuan per night, that’s enough for lunch.”

Yi Shaohua, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China’s top state think-tank, said the street stall campaign will at least help lift people’s spirits.

“The upshot is it’ll get people out of their homes, add liveliness to the streets and thus help boost economic confidence,” Yi said.

Reporting and photo: Reuters

Business

Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space

Published

2 days ago

February 16, 2026

m@ldives

Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has announced the opening of Feydhoo Hall, a landmark event venue at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, redefining the possibilities for meetings, celebrations, and destination events in the Maldives.

Designed to bring scale, flexibility, and creativity to island gatherings, Feydhoo Hall represents a bold step forward in positioning the Maldives as a dynamic destination for conferences, weddings, and large-scale social occasions.

Feydhoo Hall offers a versatile event complex designed to accommodate a wide range of gatherings, from corporate meetings and conferences to weddings and social celebrations.

At its core is the 390 sqm Main Hall, capable of hosting:

Up to 300 guests in theatre-style setup
Up to 240 guests for dining and banquet-style events
Up to 200 guests for cocktail-style receptions
Up to 144 guests in cluster-round configuration

Enhancing the flexibility of the venue are additional dedicated spaces, including:

A 110 sqm Veranda Terrace, ideal for welcome receptions, breakout sessions, and pre-event gatherings, accommodating up to 100 guests for cocktail-style events.
A spacious 1,000 sqm Lawn Space, perfect for large-scale outdoor celebrations, destination weddings, and open-air events, accommodating up to 400 guests for cocktail receptions and up to 350 guests for dining setups.
The 55 sqm Ekugai Meeting Room, designed for smaller meetings and executive sessions, accommodating up to 30 guests in theatre or dining setup and 24 guests in cluster-round format.

Together, these integrated spaces create a seamless indoor-outdoor event experience, allowing planners to design dynamic and personalised event journeys.

True to the dusitD2 brand’s lifestyle-driven philosophy, Feydhoo Hall introduces a fresh approach to meetings and events — where productivity meets creativity in an inspiring island setting.

The venue offers flexible meeting formats designed to suit different event needs, including:

Half-Day Meeting Package (4 hours) — ideal for focused sessions, executive meetings, and creative workshops.
Full-Day Meeting Package (8 hours) — designed for immersive conferences, extended workshops, and large-scale corporate gatherings.

These thoughtfully structured packages provide planners with the flexibility to create impactful and seamless experiences, whether hosting intimate strategy sessions or dynamic full-day events.

Located just seven minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives combines accessibility with vibrant lifestyle energy, offering event planners and guests a rare balance between convenience and tropical escape.

With the introduction of Feydhoo Hall, the resort strengthens its position as a versatile destination — not only for leisure travellers but also for international conferences, creative retreats, luxury weddings, and large-scale social celebrations seeking something refreshingly different in the Maldives.

Business

BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet

Published

2 days ago

February 16, 2026

m@ldives

Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) opened a new wholesale store in Hulhumalé Phase 2 on Monday.

The outlet is located on the ground floor of Lot 20286, Nirolhu Magu, and is intended to improve access to BBM’s imported goods for residents of Hulhumalé Phase 2 and for businesses operating in the area.

According to the company, the opening forms part of its plan to expand services closer to customers in line with population growth in Hulhumalé.

With the opening of the new store, BBM’s full range of imported and distributed products will be available at the Hulhumalé Phase 2 location. These include consumer goods from international brands such as Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Unilever.

The store will also stock wholesale food products from brands including Daily, Cavin’s and Redman.

BBM has supplied goods to resorts, hotels and retail outlets across the Maldives for several years.

Action

Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah

Published

3 weeks ago

January 29, 2026

m@ldives

Ataraxis Grand & Spa recently hosted a week-long, closed corporate offsite in Fuvahmulah for a US-based artificial intelligence company, highlighting the island’s growing suitability for integrated work-and-experience retreats. The retreat brought a group of 36 international professionals to the property, which was reserved exclusively for the programme.

Designed as a private company offsite, the stay combined structured daily work sessions with guided diving and beginner-friendly surf experiences, creating a balanced format that blended focused collaboration with physical reset.

A notable component of the programme was dive training and certification. During the retreat, 17 participants completed their Open Water certification, while a further six undertook the Advanced Open Water course, with training and dives scheduled alongside work sessions as part of the integrated itinerary.

Throughout the week, participants worked on-site using dedicated shared spaces supported by reliable high-speed internet, allowing meetings, informal collaboration and scheduled activities to take place within a single, uninterrupted environment. This setup enabled teams to move seamlessly between work periods and organised ocean activities without leaving the property.

Fuvahmulah’s natural and operational advantages formed a key part of the retreat’s appeal. As one of the Maldives’ largest inhabited islands, it offers immediate access to pelagic dive sites, internationally recognised shark diving and surf breaks suitable for instruction, alongside the infrastructure required to support extended group stays.

The offsite reflects a growing preference among technology and knowledge-sector teams for small-scale retreats that prioritise concentrated work environments and team cohesion over traditional conference formats. Such programmes typically involve longer stays and higher per-capita spend, aligning with sustainable, quality-driven tourism models.

The retreat also demonstrates how locally operated properties such as Ataraxis Grand & Spa are supporting this shift by delivering unified environments where accommodation, workspaces, connectivity and curated experiences operate as a single programme rather than separate services.

As organisations continue to explore alternative formats for strategy sessions, team resets and creative offsites, Ataraxis Grand & Spa’s experience positions Fuvahmulah as an increasingly viable destination for integrated corporate retreats.

Ataraxis Grand & Spa offers work-and-dive retreat programmes in Fuvahmulah that combine accommodation, dedicated workspaces, high-speed connectivity and organised diving and surfing.