Hong Kong to open its first robot-run retail stores

(ECNS) -- Hong Kong is set to open its first robot-run retail stores, with three Galbot Store outlets scheduled to begin operations on Tuesday. 

Operated by Beijing-based Galbot Co., Ltd., the stores will be managed entirely by robots without preset programs or remote human control. They will sell cultural products from Hong Kong and cities across the Chinese mainland.

Galbot has opened about 200 robot-run stores in nearly 50 cities on the mainland. The Hong Kong outlets mark the brand’s first overseas deployment, providing a real-world setting to test its robotics technology.

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and Galbot founder Wang He said the city’s open business environment and diverse market offer a strong platform for advanced technologies to expand internationally. 

(By Helen Mo & intern Liu Shuangjing)