SHENZHEN - It is 10pm in the world's largest electronics market, and lines of delivery workers who once hauled computer components and knock-off phones now push carts overflowing with Mac lipsticks, Bioderma cleansers and other foreign beauty brands.
Ms Ying opened her cosmetics stall three months ago, part of a sudden makeover at the landmark electronics market in this famously entrepreneurial city. Where many of the market's stalls once sold knock-off Apple and Samsung products, vendors have been squeezed by affordable local brands like Xiaomi and Vivo and stricter intellectual property laws. For many, the easiest move was to get out of electronics altogether.
Although Mingtong had hosted a smattering of cosmetics dealers for several years, the business took off this year when border closures halted the flow of traders going to Hong Kong and picking up tax-free goods for resale, several wholesalers said. Some buyers at the market purchase items in small batches to sell on Chinese e-commerce sites such as Alibaba's Taobao.