Slide for fourth consecutive year blamed on worldwide economic conditions, while online marketplace may have huge potential for local retailers The struggling retail sector is expected to stabilise following a three-year slump , with an industry head predicting a milder decline of 3 to 4 per cent for 2017, dragged down by unfavourable currency conditions and uncertainty sparked by the possibility of rigid US trade policies. Retail Management Association chairman Thomson Cheng Wai-hung said: “The association and I believe it is unlikely that the sector will see a revival this year.”