Landlord sues ParknShop over rubbish at Sai Kung outlet
Supermarket giant ParknShop is being sued by the landlord of one of its stores in Sai Kung for allowing rubbish and shopping carts to clutter a shopping centre.
Supermarket giant ParknShop is being sued by the landlord of one of its stores in Sai Kung for allowing rubbish and shopping carts to clutter a shopping centre.
In a High Court writ, landlord Albury Garden Investment accuses ParknShop of breaching the lease for its Fusion store at Centro in Chui Tong Road. It wants the chain to surrender the premises and pay damages.
"Since commencement of the term under the lease agreement, the [tenant] has been in breach of the lease agreement," the writ alleges.
Court documents show that the tenancy was agreed on October 18, 2013, and runs until October next year. The monthly rent is HK$237,534 and the monthly management fee was HK$99,189 but has since increased to HK$101,169.
Under the agreement, the landlord says, ParknShop is responsible for removing garbage from the store using a specified route. The tenant also agreed not to place trolleys, rubbish or anything else in corridors, on staircases or around the centre's entrance.
But the landlord claims the supermarket chain allowed "rubbish, pallets, racks" and other material to be left in the centre's first-floor loading bay.
ParknShop also allowed shopping carts to be left in common areas, causing obstruction, according to the writ.
The landlord said it had approached ParknShop through a firm of solicitors, asking it to remedy the situation and pay HK$51,200. But it took no steps to amend the problem or pay the fees, the writ alleges. Albury is asking the tenant to pay the cost of removing the rubbish, as well as damages for the harm to the shopping centre's reputation.
Fusion is a high-end brand introduced by ParknShop to combine "fresh produce with a wide selection of Western delicacies". The Sai Kung outpost is the biggest supermarket in the seaside town, which has a large expatriate population.
