ATRenew Launches First Hong Kong Store, Boosting Circular Economy and Pre-Owned Electronics Trading

Mainland circular tech leader ATRenew opens first Hong Kong store establishing city as go-global hub

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) today (July 28) announced ATRenew Inc. (ATRenew), the Chinese Mainland’s leading pre-owned consumer electronics transactions and services platform, had opened its first physical store under its new consumer brand RERE- short for Revalue and Renew – in Hong Kong. This launch positions the city as a go-global hub for the growing circular economy while bringing the group’s consumer buyback and retail operations to Hong Kong for the first time – complementing its long-standing business-to-business (B2B) pre-owned electronics trading ecosystem.

Located in Tsuen Wan, the store launches under ATRenew’s new consumer brand RERE marks a major step in taking the company’s brand, sustainability innovation and business model global. For traded-in smartphones, ATRenew developed a proprietary data destruction system certified by international authority ADISA Certification. Utilising advanced multi-pass data overwriting, the platform ensures fully traceable and unrecoverable data erasure – eliminating data theft risks at the source and setting a high standard for privacy and data protection for users.

At the heart of ATRenew’s offering is a set of proprietary, AI-backed technologies. Self-service tools allow customers to value and sell a device in minutes, while automated quality inspection – refined through diagnostic data from the group’s extensive Mainland facilities – delivers high-precision grading. Combined with a standardised digital device-identity system, ATRenew ensures quality, defect traceability, driving efficiency and security for cross-border transactions. These capabilities empower FoneSquare, its new B2B global trading platform, giving overseas wholesale buyers confidence in the origin and condition of every device.

The opening is supported by a Memorandum of Understanding with leading retailer JD Mall Hong Kong. Under this partnership, the group will roll out in-store one-stop buyback services for electronic devices, making it easy for shoppers citywide to sell or trade in pre-owned devices.

The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Alpha Lau, said, “ATRenew represents a great Chinese green story, and we are delighted that Hong Kong serves as a prominent showcase of the group’s full recycling-to-retail model in service of the circular economy. As an international investment and trade hub operating under common law, Hong Kong is not just a financing engine but also an ideal test bed for innovations. Today, we also warmly welcome two of our InvestHK clients, ATRenew and JD.com, joining hands in driving sustainability innovation. This expansion demonstrates our strengths as a go-global springboard for both Mainland and overseas businesses with green aspirations.”

The Founder and Chef Executive Officer of ATRenew, Mr Kerry Chen, said, “The global circular economy is entering a critical growth phase, with Hong Kong serving as the central hub for ATRenew’s overseas supply chain and brand expansion. Driven by our three-pillar globalisation strategy of ‘business, capabilities, and brand’, ATRenew is extending its well-established standardisation, automated technologies, and robust supply chain overseas. We are committed to making buy-back services more accessible and providing users worldwide with high-quality pre-owned products, empowering a green and sustainable future.”

Globally, rising environmental awareness and demand for value are fuelling fast-growing appetite for quality pre-owned electronics. International Data Corporation projects the worldwide market for used smartphones to surpass 430 million units, with a market value of close to US$110 billion, by 2027.

Looking ahead, ATRenew plans to build on its Hong Kong-Dubai “dual-hub” for international growth, establishing its full recycling-to-retail ecosystem across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, West Asia and North Africa.

InvestHK provided end-to-end support to facilitate ATRenew’s expansion in Hong Kong, offering market intelligence, business matching, and setup guidance. It also connected the group with key partners and supported its international expansion and compliance navigation – advancing ATRenew’s ambition to build RERE into a globally recognised certified pre-owned brand.

For more information about ATRenew, please visit www.atrenew.com.

Smart QS Hackathon 2026 officially launched to jointly build new AI milestone for construction industry

The Smart QS Hackathon 2026, co-organised for the first time by the Housing Bureau and the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA), Cyberport, and the University of Hong Kong (HKU), was officially launched today (July 29) with a welcome ceremony and briefing session held at Cyberport. The Hackathon aims to explore innovative applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Quantity Surveying (QS) through cross-sector collaboration, facilitating the intelligent transformation of the construction industry and enhancing the management and service effectiveness of public works.

In her opening remarks at the ceremony, the Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, said, “This year marks the beginning of the National 15th Five-Year Plan. Hong Kong proactively aligns with the requirements of national strategies to drive new quality productive forces with innovative technology, accelerating high-quality development in various industries. The Government has laid out a vast blueprint for housing and infrastructure development, and is fully committed to advancing smart city development and smart construction. We aim to boost the digital transformation of the QS industry by leveraging cutting-edge AI solutions, with a view to optimising contract management, expediting payment assessment, and mitigating disputes and project delays, thereby directly enhancing housing construction in terms of speed, quantity, quality and efficiency.

“We are delighted to spearhead the joint roll-out of this Hackathon with our partner institutions. By bringing together young academics, information technology professionals and QS industry leaders, this initiative highlights the Government’s continuous effort to foster cross-sector synergy. The Smart QS Hackathon 2026 holds high practical value, serving not only as a demonstration of integration between the construction industry and the digital economy, but also as an important testing platform for cultivating new quality productive forces in the construction industry. The innovative solutions can undergo on-site testing at public housing construction sites, with the potential for gradual implementation across public housing projects and the wider QS industry, thereby promoting sector-wide innovation and development. We hope all participants to this programme can enjoy the platform by transcending their professional boundaries and co-creating innovative forward-looking solutions.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Cyberport, Dr Rocky Cheng, stated in his opening remarks, “Cyberport has always been committed to driving AI+ development and fostering the deep integration of AI with different industries. In the Smart QS Hackathon 2026, Cyberport will leverage its role as Hong Kong’s digital tech hub and AI accelerator, with an integrative ecosystem of over 2 300 technology enterprises, including over 500 AI enterprises. We will broadly mobilise community technology enterprises to participate, and provide participating teams with computing resources from the AI Supercomputing Centre (AISC), alongside pioneering technology training and resources, to effectively fast track innovative solutions from ideation to practical implementation.”

The Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) of the Faculty of Architecture at HKU, Professor Isabelle Chan, said at the ceremony, “This programme fully demonstrates the collaborative innovation power of the Government, academia, the innovation and technology sector and the construction industry, providing students and professionals with a unique and hands-on platform to apply AI technologies to real-world QS and project management scenarios. During the Hackathon, the HKU Faculty of Architecture will provide training workshops, technical sharing, and expert guidance to help participants master AI tools and practical applications, fostering deep integration of innovative technology and professional practice.”

This was followed by the Head of Business Development of Hong Kong Cyberport, Dr Crystal Fok, and the Chairman of the QS Division of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, Mr Eric Ting, on the Hackathon Briefing and Introduction of QS respectively.

Cross-sector collaboration drives QS industry transformation to cultivate AI talent and promote construction innovation

Centred on the practical needs of the QS profession, the Hackathon aims to jointly build and validate practical AI innovative solutions that address real-world industry challenges through cross-sector collaboration and systematic practice, thereby driving innovative development across QS and the wider construction industry. The organisers will host a series of AI training sessions and workshops with expert mentors from the HA, academia, and industry to share real workflows and business experience, offering professional guidance to help participants master AI technologies, data applications, and solution development. Participants will also have free access to Cyberport’s AISC computing resources to accelerate model training, testing, and optimisation. The Hackathon enables participants to gain hands-on industry experience and transform their learning into versatile professional skills, nurturing diverse talents for the industry.

Implementing winning solutions to drive practical application of results

The Hackathon features two categories, namely Assigned Challenges and Open Challenges. The Assigned Challenges cover contract advisory and payment valuation. The contract advisory track includes using AI to assist in drafting, analysing, and reviewing tender and contract documents, improving efficiency and accuracy; the payment valuation track involves using AI, image analysis, and smart evaluation technologies to identify project progress and assess payment amounts. The Open Challenges welcome proposals from professional and student teams on QS and construction-related topics, encouraging innovative solutions to drive industry transformation. On Hackathon days, teams must design and develop innovative solutions within 48 hours and demonstrate their ideas to the judging panel. In addition to winning cash prizes of up to $20,000, winning teams will have the opportunity to further collaborate with the organisers and the HA on proof-of-concept and solution implementation.

Application now open to co-create new milestone in smart construction

Application for the Smart QS Hackathon 2026 is now open with the deadline on August 14. Full-time undergraduate or postgraduate students from local institutions, as well as QS professionals, AI and technology talent, and innovation and technology enthusiasts are welcome to register and participate, seizing the valuable opportunities to collaborate and exchange with industry experts, working together to propel the industry towards intelligence.

For competition and application details, please visit the official event webpagewww.cyberport.hk/en/smart_qs_hackathon_2026.