The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced in a statement on Monday that it would start its optimisation project of the Iao Hon vendor stalls today, insisting that the stall owners’ business will “only minimally be disrupted” by the revamp.
The vendor area is located on Rua Dois do Bairro Iao Hon, bordered by Rua Seis do Bairro Iao Hon and Rua Oito do Bairro Iao Hon. On April 20, a dozen vendor stalls in the area were gutted by fire caused by a short circuit in the wiring.
The project, according to the statement, involves the comprehensive renovation of the existing vendor stalls, focusing on enhanced fire safety measures, improved electrical safety, expanded rest areas, and an upgrade of the overall business environment.
According to the statement, the project will be carried out in four phases. While maintaining the current stall sizes, the project will comprehensively upgrade the area’s facilities and equipment. This includes installing individual electricity meters, separating stalls from each other with brick walls, and equipping them with sprinklers and transparent roller shutters.
The statement also said that the project will set up an automatic power-cut-off function at the stalls to reduce electrical risks. The goal is to complete the first three phases before the next Lunar New Year (February 17, 2026). Earlier, the bureau held a briefing session to introduce the revamp arrangements to the vendors.
Some stall owners told the Post yesterday that while the government proposed replacing shutters with transparent ones in phases, they were concerned about the risk of exposing their goods to everyone passing at night, such as theft, as well as fire hazards caused by discarded cigarette ends.
Regarding the government’s recent consumer incentive scheme, stall owners said they believe that its actual economic impact would be limited, as customers tend to spend their money in the Chinese mainland or local supermarkets.
Moreover, the vendors said, the relatively high threshold for the scheme’s lucky draw eligibility – requiring minimum expenditure of 50 patacas each time – failed to effectively stimulate people to spend their money at local stalls. They urged the government to introduce further policy optimisations to better align the scheme with the practical needs of micro and small local businesses.
Shoppers browse vendor stalls on Rua Dois do Bairro Iao Hon yesterday. The area will undergo a gradual optimisation project starting today. – Photo: Armindo Neves
