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Eric Jiang

Hong Kong can serve a unique role in the development of the robotics industry, the finance chief has said as he welcomed the coming opening of the city’s first convenience stores operated by humanoid robots.
Following an opening ceremony on Monday, the first “Galbot stores” will launch in Hung Hom, Kai Tak and Wan Chai on Tuesday. They are Beijing-based Galbot’s first outlets outside mainland China, with plans for 10 more stores in the city later.
The embodied-intelligence robotics company launched its first store on the mainland last August and has since expanded to about 200 outlets across 50 cities nationwide.
“This is a genuinely important step for us in going overseas as Hong Kong is an important window and platform for [mainland] China facing the international market,” said Zhao Yuli, chief strategy officer of Galbot, noting that the business had operated a Hong Kong office since 2024.
She said Galbot planned to open about 10 more stores in high-footfall districts of Hong Kong in coming years.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said at the opening ceremony that Hong Kong could play an “important and unique role” in three areas of the robotics industry: it could provide a viable application scenario; act as a sustainable research and development ecosystem, and ensure a robust supporting capital chain.
“Hong Kong has a dense population, with highly efficient and diverse application scenarios and a high degree of internationalisation,” he said.
“Galbot, as one of the fastest-moving players in the embodied intelligence race, has chosen to bring its most advanced technology to Hong Kong for validation and demonstration, which would be a key first step for its technology and products to ‘go global’ and expand into international markets.”

Chan cited a Morgan Stanley report that projected the world would have nearly 1 billion humanoid robots by 2050, adding that China would be a key industry player and account for about 300 million of them.
Clara Chan Ka-chai, CEO of the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC), said the launch was a “phased and outstanding outcome” since the firm had invested in Galbot two years ago.
She said the corporation had invested in more than 200 companies, with more than 70 per cent of the capital deployed going to early- and growth-stage companies, reflecting its firm commitment to backing start-ups at an early stage.
Chan added that 11 companies in the HKIC’s investment portfolio had listed in Hong Kong, with more than 30 firms having applied for or preparing for listing this year.
As of the end of 2025, the HKIC had recorded a 14 per cent net internal rate of return from its portfolio.
According to Zhao, each Galbot store is run by wheeled humanoid robots powered by the company’s embodied foundation model, AstraBrain.
The robots can take orders, deliver goods and prepare drinks using a linked coffee machine, though a human attendant is still needed for certain store operations, including some replenishment tasks, with full automation expected eventually.
Zhao said Galbot’s robots won gold, silver and bronze medals in the retail category at the World Humanoid Robot Games. The competition required robots to restock shelves, manage inventory and autonomously identify misplaced items and correct their positioning.
“Although Hong Kong has had many robotics and artificial intelligence exhibitions before, those were all demos running for a limited time,” she said. “What residents have rarely seen is a robot that can actually keep working, continuously.”

Zhao said the robot at the Hong Kong outlet would be able to understand Cantonese, which would be one of the highlights of the launch. The stores would also sell cultural and creative products, in addition to drinks and food.
Asked about the city’s high rents and labour costs, she said the company was willing to invest in the business and estimated that it would break even within 12 to 18 months. She described that time frame as “common” for bricks-and-mortar retail.
Zhao cited examples in Beijing and Jiangxi, where the company sold cultural and creative merchandise linked to local landmarks, including Beijing-themed items near the Summer Palace and porcelain blind boxes in Jingdezhen.
She said stores at cultural and tourism sites had increased foot traffic at some locations by 20 to 30 per cent over the past year.
She added that the autonomous robots could also help extend operating hours where round-the-clock staffing was difficult. She cited Galbot’s smart-pharmacy deployments on the mainland, which operate 24 hours a day across multiple cities.
Established in 2023, Galbot saw domestic orders across all its robot models exceed 1,200 last year, Zhao said. The company only began systematic international expansion in earnest this year.
“We are actively exploring collaboration models with local partners, and expect to see more deployment across different international markets before long,” she said.
She added that the company would also plan to introduce other robots to Hong Kong, including the Galbot ET1, its first learning-capable agentic bipedal humanoid robot.


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Finance chief also welcomes launch of Galbot’s humanoid robot-operated outlets in Hung Hom, Kai Tak and Wan Chai – a first for the city


Finance chief also welcomes launch of Galbot’s humanoid robot-operated outlets in Hung Hom, Kai Tak and Wan Chai – a first for the city.


Hong Kong can play unique role in fostering robotics industry: Paul Chan

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Finance chief also welcomes launch of Galbot’s humanoid robot-operated outlets in Hung Hom, Kai Tak and Wan Chai – a first for the city

Finance chief also welcomes launch of Galbot’s humanoid robot-operated outlets in Hung Hom, Kai Tak and Wan Chai – a first for the city