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Tag: Hong Kong

  • Hong Kong Book Fair Opens Next Month with About 670 International Exhibitors

    Hong Kong Book Fair Opens Next Month with About 670 International Exhibitors

    About 670 exhibitors from 35 countries and regions will present books on a wide range of topics and in various languages at the 28th edition of the HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair, which will be held 19-25 July at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). More than 310 cultural events catering to different interests and age groups will take place during the week-long event to raise public cultural awareness and interest in reading.

    “The Hong Kong Book Fair Cultural Events Advisory Panel chose the theme of Travel for this year’s Book Fair,” said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau, as he explained how the event would move forward from last year’s focus on Chinese martial arts literature. “We hope that readers can learn about the world through reading the works of Hong Kong travel writers, even though they themselves may not have the opportunity to travel around the globe,” Mr Chau said, adding that the HTKDC will be “bringing in publishers and cultural promotion institutions from around the world as well as organising a series of cultural events to feature the cultures of different countries, under the theme ‘Reading the World – People, Places, Passions’.”

    Travel Writing in Focus

    In keeping with the travel theme, this year’s Book Fair Art Gallery, to be located outside the 3/F convention hall, will showcase a thematic exhibition “Around the World Through Words”. The exhibition will feature a number of Hong Kong travel writers with varied backgrounds covering litterateurs, cruise expert, explorer, historians, war correspondent, novelist as well as writer and photographer, of which Leung Ping Kwan (Ye Si), Xi Xi, Rebecca Lee and Zhou Yijun are included. The gallery will feature their works together with photos taken and souvenirs gathered during their journeys, to build understanding about their travel works and generate interest in reading.

    The Art Gallery will also host an exhibition called Beyond the Picture to showcase photographs, paintings and various printed matter telling stories about different places in the world over the ages. It includes a section organised with National Geographic magazine to feature award-winning photographs that capture the culture, landscape and architecture of Hong Kong and other locations around the world. The series will also showcase “old Hong Kong” through the paintings of famous local artist Lee Chi-ching as well as photographs, postcards and other printed matter.

    Rounding out the Art Gallery will be “A Journey to Sichuan”, introducing the Chinese province often referred to as “Nature’s Storehouse”. Visitors will be able to take in photographs of the scenery in Sichuan, as well as manuscripts by famous writers from the area, a series of prized exhibits from Sanxingdui Museum, and performances of Sichuan opera face-changing, tea arts and folk music.

    Renowned Writers Gather from Around the World

    This Book Fair features eight seminar series to invite an international line-up of writers in various genres to share their viewpoints and writing tips. The HKTDC continues to collaborate with Ming Pao and Yazhou Zhoukan to co-organise the Renowned Writers Seminar Series. Speakers in the series will include the Chinese mainland writers Ye Xin, Hang Shaogong, Fang Fang, Zhou Meisen, Liu Xiaoqing, Wang Chaoge, Xu Zhiyuan, Lu Nei, Zhou Bing, Xiao Han and Hao Jingfang. Also taking part are writers from Taiwan, including Chu Tien-hsin, Tang Nuo, Liu Ka-shiang and Yang Ze, and from Hong Kong, Leung Man-tao and Craig Au-Yeung Ying Chai.

    The Book Fair also encourages the public to read books in other languages to broaden their horizons. The English Reading and Creative Writing Seminar Series, supported by the British Council, will feature three renowned UK authors, including crime fiction writer Sophie Hannah and travel writers Sara Wheeler and Tim Moore.

    The World of Knowledge Seminar Series, supported by the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau, will feature three French writers including illustrator Cedric Fernandez, film critic Arnaud Lanuque who studies Hong Kong films and Afro-French novelist Alain Mabanckou. The Consulate General of Spain in Hong Kong is also contributing to the international line-up, by arranging for Peter Gordon and Juan Jose Morales to introduce their new book on the China-Mexico route Ruta Via de la Plata which dates back to the 16th to 19th centuries.

    Well-known Chinese mainland entrepreneur Wang Qiang, who created his own Think in American English programme, will also attend the fair to share his reading experience, as will renowned local authors, including prominent designer Kan Tai-keung, President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Prof Tony F Chan, as well as the pilot Hank Cheng and engineer Gary Tat who together assembled a light aircraft in Hong Kong and completed a journey around the world.

    Other seminar series include the Theme of the Year Seminar Series, where a number of travel writers, academics and travel experts will share their views on travelling and writing as well as travel writing styles, the Children and Youth Reading Series, which covers child growth and education, parent-child reading and children literature, and the Personal Development and Spiritual Growth Seminar Series, in which travel expert James Hong, Hong Kong swimmer Stephanie Au and the physiotherapist Elton Ng who conquered Mount Everest will share tales of inspiration.

    Also on the schedule are the Lifestyle Seminar Series, where local artists Steve Lee and Gigi Wong will share cooking tips, as well as sessions by Yim Ho to share healthcare tips, by field photography group Wandering Photography to share the joy of photography, and the Hong Kong Cultural and Historical Seminar Series, where Dr Ting Sun Pao, Dr Clarence Yau and Louis Koo who is the leading actor of A Step into the Past, television series adapted from popular novel of same name, will discuss the works of the late martial arts novelist Huang Yi. Hong Kong artist Rebecca Pan will bring the audience to the cinematic stage through her own experience, and the renowned Cantonese Opera actor Franco Yuen will talk about Cantonese Opera education in Hong Kong. For more details and registration of the seminars, please visit the Hong Kong Book Fair website.

    Wang Qiang, Founder of the Think in American English Programme, Production Director of Lonely Planet and other industry experts from around the world will also participate in the International Publishing Forum to explore developments in this sector during a session targeting publishing industry players.

    Reading about the World

    The International Cultural Village at the Book Fair features 26 countries and regions. France, Germany, Italy and Poland are among the countries setting up the European Union Pavilion to exhibit books as well as organise a number of cultural events to increase public understanding of their local cultures. Japan will return to the fair with a group pavilion which represents 11 cities and prefectures including Niigata, Wakayama and newcomers Fukuoka and Tottori. The pavilion exhibitors will join forces with the Japan National Tourism Organization and the Japan Kadokawa Group to showcase aspects of Japanese culture.

    Besides the seven-day Book Fair, the HKTDC will organise “Cultural July” citywide campaign which will include more than 310 cultural events to promote reading. Taking place from the end of June until the end of July, it will involve cultural institutions, libraries, museums, educational institutions, shopping malls and cafes, in a combined effort to encourage greater public participation in diverse cultural events.

    Concurrent Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo

    Tickets to the Book Fair are now available for public purchase, and visitors can also purchase tickets on-site at the fairground ticket office. The Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo will be held concurrently from 21-25 July at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Sports and Leisure Expo features over 90 exhibitors to showcase sports-related products and equipment, as well as photography and art products and special interest classes. The fair will feature free trials of activities such as indoor rock-climbing and street workout workshops. Visitors can visit the Sports and Leisure Expo with a valid Book Fair ticket.

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  • Hong Kong’s Octopus Cards launches Octopus App

    Hong Kong’s Octopus Cards launches Octopus App

    Hong Kong’s Octopus Cards has launched a new mobile app designed to let customers manage their Octopus cards and Octopus O! ePay accounts via a single location.

    The new Octopus App can display card balances and transaction histories viewable through NFC-enabled Android smartphones, or iOS devices paired up with an Octopus Mobile Reader.

    The app’s O! EPay function supports peer-to-peer payment and fund transfer between O! ePay, designated bank accounts, registered Octopus cards and Octopus Mobile SIMs.

    In addition, Octopus App supports online payments, including shopping, e-ticketing bill payments and donations with charity, as well as offers and eCoupons from merchant partners.

    Customers using the previous Octopus branded app will be able to upgrade to the new app and retain all their current information, eliminating the need to re-register. New users can download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play and sign up with their email addresses and mobile numbers.

    “The all-new Octopus App further demonstrates our commitment to making everyday life easier,” Octopus Cards CEO Sunny Cheung said.

    “We are also very pleased to bring in major business partners like TurboJET and China Mobile to serve customers’ payment needs through our new Octopus App – thus maximising the ‘one card, one app’ customer benefit.”

    He said the company plans to continue introducing innovations in its mobile payment services, such as QR code payment, to improve the customer experience.

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  • Hong Kong ranked third worldwide for broadband speeds

    Hong Kong ranked third worldwide for broadband speeds

    Hong Kong has been ranked third worldwide for broadband download speeds, with HKBN named the market’s fastest provider, according to Speedtest results from Ookla.

    Between the fourth quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, Hong Kong achieved an average download speed of 142.65Mbps. This speed represents the experience of a typical consumer in the market.

    The fastest broadband speeds were recorded by subscribers to HKBN at 544.18Mbps, followed by Netvigator at 470.43Mbps, 3 Hong Kong at 290.17Mbps and i-Cable Communications at 141.5Mbps.

    Top upload speeds were meanwhile recorded at 544.07Mbps for HKBN, 460.63Mbps for Netvigator, 201.15Mbps for 3 Hong Kong and 27.89Mbps for i-Cable.

    To determine this metric, Speedtest compares the top 10% of each ISP’s speed results to provide an accurate view of their top-end performance.

    “We are proud to know that our outstanding network performance has been duly recognized by independent global leader Speedtest. Our top-notch fiber network, advanced facilities and round-the-clock network operation management ensures that our customers enjoy the best internet experience in this data hungry era,” HKBN CTO Gary McLaren said.

    “Currently, with about one-third of all households in Hong Kong connected to HKBN broadband, we look forward to bringing more top-value services to more people across Hong Kong.”

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  • HKIA unveils plans for new shops in multi-million dollar upgrade

    HKIA unveils plans for new shops in multi-million dollar upgrade

    Hong Kong International Airport has unveiled a series of enhancements including new shops and retail options as part of its multi-million dollar upgrade programme.

    The Airport Authority Hong Kong revealed the plans, which include the introduction of new anchor duty free shops in Terminal 1 for liquor, cosmetics and accessories. The stores are set to open soon and airport bosses promise they will include experiential concepts such as a whisky bar and interactive zones.

    The work will also create more space in Terminal 1, with expansion work to the building’s north side, 40 new check-in counters and two more baggage reclaim carousels. There will also be more seats, shops and catering outlets.

    A fresh look

    The scheme is set to cost HK$7billion – equivalent to almost $898million. It also includes the creation of a roof garden and play area, a recreational zone with technology for travellers, along with 1,400 more car parking spaces and staff facilities including a sports hall and canteens.Airport Authority CEO Fred Lam said: “The enhancement projects for Terminal 1, together with the three-runway system in 2024, will increase the airport’s handling capacity, as well as bringing a fresh look and feel. Passengers from around the world will enjoy an experience tantamount to travelling through a new airport.”

    Crossing in style

    A spokesman for the Airport Authority added: “The authority is also planning to build a weather-proof footbridge connecting Terminal 1 and the North Satellite Concourse, known as ‘Sky Bridge’, which will reduce passengers’ travelling time and the need for using shuttle buses.

    “Rising 28 metres above ground, Sky Bridge will allow the largest A380 aircrafts to taxi underneath. The 200-metre long footbridge with travelators will feature an observation deck and catering outlets in the towers at both sides, providing scenic spots and relaxation spaces for passengers.”

  • Hong Kong mobile apps firms face serious talent shortage

    Hong Kong mobile apps firms face serious talent shortage

    Facing talent shortage and increased operational costs, nearly half of mobile apps development firms in Hong Kong need to turn down their business deals or outsource services to overseas, according to a recent survey conducted by the Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA).

    The WTIA’s Hong Kong Mobile Apps Industry Survey, conducted by Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), interviewed 124 app development companies firms between May 8 and June 5 this year.

    According to the survey, 33% of the companies said they are facing a serious shortage of manpower with technical talents such as programmers, coders and engineers being the most difficult to fill.

    “There is a major talent shortage not just on the technical side, but also in sales,” said Wendy Alison Yung, executive director at WTIA.

    Another key challenge is an increase in operational costs, with a majority (86%) of the companies saying facing increasing pressure from high staff costs while 55% from office rental.

    To address the issues of talent shortage and increased operational costs, 42% of the companies said they have to use outsourced services, with domestic companies being the most popular choice (69%), followed by firms in mainland China (25%) and other countries or regions (21%).

    Despite these challenges, the survey found that the mobile app industry in Hong Kong is getting mature with a better business prospect.

    For one, the number of respondents with an annual revenue of HK$500,000 ($64,000) grew by 28%. At the same time, the number of companies in deficit reduced by 14%. These figures suggest a better business environment and prospects for a growing in the smartphone app industry, Yung said.

    Meanwhile, the number of companies operating for six or more years has drastically increased from 22% last year to 50% this year, while startups have also become considerably more well-established with an increase in founders aged 25 and above (23%) and in founders with five or more years of work experience (13%).

    Business applications (57%) tops the most popular app products this year followed by e-commerce applications (26%). Over four-fifths (82%) of the respondents allocated resources to R&D and product development in the previous year, with the average amount at over HK$2.1 million.

    Following the global success of the popular augmented reality (AR) game “Pokemon Go” and the introduction of NFC e-payment services in Hong Kong, the survey showed that AR and NFC are the most popular technologies being adopted in mobile apps in the city.

    According to the survey, 22% of mobile apps created feature AR in 2017, up from 9% the previous year, while adoption of NFC has increased to 21% this year from 10% in 2016.

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  • Hong Kong International to add stores as part of Terminal 1 upgrade

    Hong Kong International to add stores as part of Terminal 1 upgrade

    Airport Authority Hong Kong has unveiled details of a major upgrade programme in Terminal 1. A number of “anchor” retail stores and F&B outlets will be added as part of the improvement work, which aims to offer a “vibrant new experience for passengers”. New duty free shops for liquor, cosmetics and accessories will be open for business “soon”, Airport Authority Hong Kong said, offering experiential concepts such as interactive zones and a whisky bar.

    The food hall in the East Hall area will be revamped with a new design (as illustrated immediately below).

    Over 40 new check-in counters with self-bag drop facilities and two new additional baggage reclaim carousels will be installed. The project also includes an extension building adjacent to the existing Car Park 4 to provide approximately 1,400 additional parking spaces, as well as premises for the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy and HKIA Preschool. The new building will also house other staff-related facilities including a community centre, a multi-purpose sports hall and fitness centre, and staff canteens for the airport community.

    The authority is also planning to build a weather-proof footbridge connecting Terminal 1 and the North Satellite Concourse. Known as ‘Sky Bridge’, it will reduce passengers’ travelling time and the need for using shuttle buses. The 200 metre long footbridge with travellators will feature an observation deck and catering outlets in the towers at both sides.

    New features in the expanded East Hall of Terminal 1 will include a roof garden and a children play area that spans two levels in the restricted area. There will also be a dedicated recreational zone featuring new technologies for travellers, the authority said. Themed areas may be introduced in the boarding gate areas at Terminal 1.

    “The enhancement projects for Terminal 1, together with the three-runway system in 2024, will increase the airport’s handling capacity, as well as bringing a fresh look and feel,” said Airport Authority Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer Fred Lam. “Passengers from around the world will enjoy an experience tantamount to travelling through a new airport.”

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  • Tiffany & Co. opens Hong Kong airport pop-up

    Tiffany & Co. opens Hong Kong airport pop-up

    Tiffany & Co. has opened its Hong Kong international airport pop-up store earlier this month.

    Located at Shop 6E188A, Departures East Hall on Level 6 of Terminal 1, the temporary boutique is situated right next to the famous New York jeweller’s standalone airport store.

    Inside, the pop-up store is divided by floor-to-ceiling glass panels, to increase openness and light. From a bird’s eye view, the store is designed like a diamond and is mostly white, with graphic embellishments coloured in the house’s signature Tiffany blue.

    Moreover, the store hosts special Tiffany’s collections, which will be launched consecutively to maintain interest in the store. First up, is the Wedding Diamond Series, followed by the themes Stylish Accessories, Christmas Season and Valentine’s Day.

    The new Tiffany’s pop-up serves as a convenient second shopping avenue for departing travellers leaving Hong Kong, in particular, tourists returning to mainland China.

    Hong Kong’s visitor numbers increased 1.9% in April 2017 on the same month last year, according to data from Hong Kong Tourism Board. Mainland Chinese visitor numbers increased 1.8%, while non-mainland visitor numbers lifted 2.2%, said HKTB.

  • Worst over for jewelry sector

    Worst over for jewelry sector

    Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group yesterday reported a 3.9 percent rise in profit, buoyed by a sales rebound in the second half of the year as consumer sentiment improved.

    Executive director Adrian Cheng Chi-kong said Hong Kong’s retail and jewelry industry has already bottomed out. He also expects a single-digit increase in sales in 2018.

    Cheng said the company is planning to target local VIP customers and residents of the New Territories instead of tourists, as the company’s performance was previously affected by the decrease in visitor numbers.

    To tap the demand of Chinese customers overseas, China’s largest jeweler by market value launched three points of sale in Korea, Malaysia and the United States in the fiscal year that ended in March.

    Net profit came in at HK$3.06 billion for the year ended in March, from HK$2.94 billion profit a year ago, snapping two consecutive years of decline. That matched a HK$3.1 billion forecast by SmartEstimate.

    Revenue for the 12-month period slipped 9.4 percent to HK$51.25 billion from HK$56.59 billion in the same period last year as lower purchases by mainland tourists continued to affect the sales volume.

    Meanwhile, same-store sales of its jewelry business in mainland China fell 5.2 percent for the year, while those in Hong Kong and Macau plunged 12.4 percent.

    Chow Tai Fook plans to launch 70 to 100 sales points in China this fiscal year, but may close five non-efficient stores in Hong Kong due to high rent and feeble sales.

    As of the end of March, the company’s retail strength expanded to 2,381 points of sale, including China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, compared with 2,319 in the year before.

    Analysts are holding positive views on the city’s retail segment, aided by signs of improvement in the operating environment.

    Last week, Hong Kong posted a second month of growth in its retail sales, rising 0.1 percent in value in April. Sales of jewelry and watches edged up 0.5 percent in value.

    Hong Kong’s tourist arrivals in April rose 1.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

    However, some retailers remain conservative. Cartier owner Richemont said in May that it was too early to say the worst was over in the Hong Kong market, which has collapsed over the past two to three years.

    Shares of Chow Tai Fook have surged more than 40 percent this year, outpacing an 18.5 percent rise in the benchmark index.

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  • Entrepreneur is trying to cure Hong Kong’s meat addiction

    Entrepreneur is trying to cure Hong Kong’s meat addiction

    David Yeung believes that meat is the new tobacco. But the long-time vegetarian and practicing Buddhist won’t try to get you to stop eating meat. He just wants you to consider eating less.

    That’s what he’s trying to do with the citizens of Hong Kong, who collectively have the highest per-capita meat and seafood consumption in the world, according to a 2015 study by Euromonitor. His life’s mission is to get the citizens of our planet — particularly his home city — to cut out eating animals at least one day a week. And it’s working: Menus inspired by his “Green Monday” philosophy appear in hundreds of restaurants across Hong Kong, and at schools and universities around the world.

    Though Mr Yeung grew up in Hong Kong, he spent over a decade living in New York. When he was 16, his family moved to nearby New Jersey to be closer to the fashion industry. His father was one of the four founders of the global clothing company Tommy Bahama. Mr Yeung graduated from Columbia University in 1998 with a degree in engineering, spent a few years consulting for PwC and then launched a software startup (now defunct). He grew up eating meat, but in 2001 he dove into Buddhist philosophy, a core tenet of which is the truth of suffering. It wasn’t a big leap for Mr Yeung to go from looking inward to looking outward, and he quickly concluded that by changing his diet he could stop the suffering of animals.

    Shortly before moving back to Hong Kong, he read about Meatless Monday, a campaign that urged Americans to take one day each week off from eating meat. “I thought the word meatless was not the best choice. People aren’t going to say, ‘Oh, today let’s go meatless,’” he said. He also figured that regardless of language, ethnicity, geography and gender, “green” was a universally known word. “Monday”, too. “These have to be two of the top 50 words that people around the world learn,” said Mr Yeung. So he made it positive and actionable: “Green Monday.”

    Today, you can find Green Monday vegetarian menus offered at hundreds of restaurants around Hong Kong. It’s incorporated into the food service at over 600 universities in 31 countries, 84 of them in the US, including Mr Yeung’s alma mater. You’ll find Green Monday menus at several hotel chains and even at Bon Appétit Management Co ., which is best known for managing Google’s dining empire. The one thing he insists on when he signs up new partners is that they don’t remove meat entirely from the menu. This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s a mind shift. “If you completely remove choices for people, that’s when you get a backlash,” he said.

    These small but important partnerships provide the foundational arm of Mr Yeung’s Green Monday empire with helpful branding to grow its name recognition; to date, it works with more than 2,000 schools. As a mission-based entrepreneur, he makes it an integral part of his social-impact goals, which Mr Yeung defines as bringing a triple-bottom-line to his organization: His work is good for the business, the community and the environment.

    After several successful years promoting Green Monday, Mr Yeung opened the world’s first plant-based retail store in 2015. Think 7-11 (grab-n-go food) meets Muji (clean, functional design) meets Hello Kitty café (fun). He named it Green Common . It was a place for people to eat delicious vegetarian food that riffs on Chinese classics — such as Hainan Chicken, minus the bird — and then take home the newest plant-based groceries. There are non-edible items too, including reusable water bottles, green cleaning products, skincare, cookbooks and vegetable growing kits. In addition to investing in plant-based products, Mr Yeung has become the distributor of choice for American brands that want to break into the Asian market, such as Follow Your Heart, Daiya, Califia Farms, Gardein, and Miyoko’s Creamery. Today, there are four locations, all in iconic Hong Kong retail spots including Harbour City Mall and Landmark Alexandra House.

    What Mr Yeung is most excited about is the April launch of the Beyond Meat burger — a pea-protein, plant-based burger that looks like meat (the pink hue on the inside comes from beets) and tastes like meat. (Really.) Sales are already more than double the projections, a great sign for its broader acceptance. As an investor in the US startup, Mr Yeung has become one of its biggest advocates. “He has been enormously supportive of our brand,” said Ethan Brown, chief executive officer of Beyond Meat and a fellow plant champion. Brown had wanted to expand into the international market, but he needed the right partner. “It was an easy decision to make,” said Brown. “He handles all the marketing and distribution, and he’s positioned the burger in the only way that someone that lives [in Hong Kong] could do.” The one tricky piece was naming the dish. Because there is no word for ‘beyond’ in Cantonese, Mr Yeung calls it the “future burger”. For the entrepreneur, the burger was from the future and for the future.

    Mr Yeung’s journey towards social entrepreneurship wouldn’t have gone anywhere without two key figures. One of them is Green Monday co-founder Francis Ngai, a local investor who previously founded Social Ventures Hong Kong, a philanthropic venture fund that invests in social mission-based startups that work to address urban challenges such as wealth discrepancy, handicap accessibility and elderly issues in Hong Kong. The two shared a diet and a cause. “We would have lunch for hours and talk about ideas to change the world,” said Mr Yeung. At one of those lunches, Mr Ngai said, “David, is there anything we can do with food that is social?” Mr Yeung put down his chopsticks and said, “Duh”.

    At the time, all that the two vegetarians could order were beef noodles — and then ask the server to hold the beef. “But they charge you the same, and they give you that look,” recalled Mr Yeung. The look that says you are giving them trouble.

    The other influence was Mr Yeung’s father, who oversaw the manufacturing side of Tommy Bahama before it sold for $325 million in 2003. In living the Buddhist philosophy — an awareness of those less fortunate — Mr Yeung’s father gave a good deal of his income to charity. These two men inspired Mr Yeung to create his for-profit business, along with his charitable foundation. The third piece of his plant-forward company is a venture fund that focuses on impact investments. Green Monday Ventures pilot fund invested in Beyond Meat, and its second fund invested in Perfect Day, a cellular agriculture company making dairy from cell culture;  Lighter, which provides meal-planning technology and services; and other food-tech startups.

    It may be hard to keep track of all of Mr Yeung’s efforts, but it’s clear that his outreach has, in some way, nudged his fellow Hong Kongers toward a more sustainable lifestyle. PizzaExpress, a UK-based chain with over 20 stores in Hong Kong, has experienced double-digit growth in its vegetarian menu sales on Mondays, and it sees a halo effect on other days. Said Liam Collette, the general manager of PizzaExpress for Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates and Singapore, “We have more than doubled the people eating vegetarian [menu items] on Monday, but we have also had a sustained uplift of overall customers on Mondays. I see this a success for us and for customers.” A third-party study of over 1,000 people, sponsored by Green Monday, found that before the launch, only 5% of the autonomous territory’s more than 7 million inhabitants had a goal of adjusting their consumption. Today, 22% of Hong Kong’s inhabitants report practicing some form of plant-based diet. Other signs? In 2013, Hong Kong had only 130 vegetarian restaurants, and today there are close to 250. Financially, Mr Yeung is on track, too. Revenue for the entire organization, including retail and wholesale, should fall somewhere in the $10 million to $12 million range.

    Mr Yeung’s next target, after Hong Kong? Mainland China. “The food industry is going through a lot of change,” he said, undaunted by the scope of this challenge. “We are exactly at a point where disruption is due.”

  • Alibaba’s Tmall expands in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia to non-Chinese speaking consumers

    Alibaba’s Tmall expands in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia to non-Chinese speaking consumers

    Alibaba Group, the world’s largest e-commerce operator, is beefing up its presence in online shopping by further expanding in Hong Kong and tapping more English and non-Chinese speaking consumers in Southeast Asia.

    The group has officially launched its Tmall online supermarket in Hong Kong this week, and teamed up since March with Southeast Asian e-commerce operator Lazada – which it acquired last year – to sell selected Taobao products under the “Taobao Collection” direct to shoppers in Singapore.

    The English-language Lazada site also operates local sites in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, where some of them are in local languages.

    The Malaysian platform will be launched on June 13, where shoppers will be able to take advantage of lower prices from Chinese sellers, said Elaine Hu, director of Tmall World on Monday.

    In Hong Kong, Tmall sells daily necessities from food to household products imported from the mainland to local Hong Kong consumers. With its warehouse in Shenzhen – the group’s largest in South China region – consumers will be able to receive the products within the next day after placing the order on the Hong Kong supermarket, Hu said.

    She said mainland foodstuff and snacks not easily available in Hong Kong were the most popular products.

    Household supplies, especially paper products were also selling well as consumers look for cost-saving products from the mainland, Hu said, based on data obtained from the trial run of the platform in the city since late April.

    “The average value of orders on Tmall HK’s supermarket is surprisingly high so far. It is the highest compared to any other regions in China and shows the strong spending power of local Hong Kong consumers,” Hu said, without giving specific figures.

    The variety of goods available to Hong Kong consumers pales in comparison to those on the mainland platform as fresh products and heavy goods are generally not included. Products imported to Hong Kong are also subject to rules of local regulations.

    Unlike on the mainland where the group faces fierce competition from rivals including the Tencent-backed JD.com, Hu said Alibaba was a dominant e-commerce player in the Hong Kong market.

    In 2012, the group said it had 1.4 million registered users in Hong Kong. Hu said the figure was higher now but she didn’t give any figures.

    According a survey released by Mastercard in April this year, topping the most popular category list for Hong Kong online consumers is clothing and accessories, with 41.7 per cent out of more than 8,000 consumers surveyed. Supermarket products came second, with 37.5 per cent. Other popular categories: airlines – 36.7 per cent; travel – 36.2 per cent; and hotels – 36.0 per cent.

    The strengthening of retail business in Hong Kong and other overseas markets is seen to serve as a part of Alibaba long-term plan that aims to provide services to as many as 2 billion consumers worldwide by the year of 2036, Alibaba founder Jack Ma Yun told the investors in Hangzhou last week.

    In response to the recent dispute between Alibaba and logistics firm SF Express, Hu said SF remained a partner of Tmall and for overseas transactions, downplaying the impact.

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  • Landmark Hong Kong launches a new Beauty & Wellness space

    Landmark Hong Kong launches a new Beauty & Wellness space

    Hong Kong’s luxury shopping centre Landmark has opened a new beauty and wellness space, in a bid to bring a lifestyle concept of health to customers.

    Located on the third floor of Landmark Atrium, the newly named Women’s Beauty & Wellness Concept offers a “selection of specialists” to visitors, as part of Landmark’s ‘A Year of Wisdom’ campaign for 2017.
    “Wisdom is one of the essential qualities that defines beauty; after all, the modern view is that beauty stems from within,” said Landmark, in a press release.

    “It begins with getting to know yourself better and culminates in what we eat, what we wear, even how we travel – in addition to our beauty regimes.

    Encompassing this, the space is made up of four branded categories, designed to cater to women seeking food, fashion, beauty and lifestyle goods and service.

    Super Foods provides shoppers with gluten-free products and juices from retailers such as The Cakery, Catch Juicery and Verde Organic.

    Top-Flight Services offers quick beautification for time-pressed women. Customers can head to the airplay blow-dry bar and get a fast blow-dry or try their hand at an express manicures, before heading over to Careyou Beauty for semi-permanent makeup and eyeliner. Other facilities include facials at N°8 Organic Spa by Beyorg, teeth whitening at Smile Dental Surgeons, as well as lash treatments from Suavislash Couture.

    Finally, the At Home Beauty section will sell electronic tools and beauty gadgets via retailer The Artistry, while customers can pick up apparel and undergarments from the space’s Feel Good Fashion section, most notably with a selection of Caelum Greene activewear, Fogal leagwear and Sheer lingerie.

    To mark the launch of the wellness space, a launch event was successfully held on June 8th by the X2 Creative brand engagement agency, with the attendance of many Hong Kong socialites and bloggers.

    During the event, guests were treated to exclusive trial services and gift or redemption offers from twelve beauty and wellness specialists located within the new Landmark wellness space.

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  • UnionPay launches QuickPass in Hong Kong and Singapore

    UnionPay launches QuickPass in Hong Kong and Singapore

    Following a debut in China late last month, UnionPay International is extending its UnionPay QuickPass QR code mobile payment service to Hong Kong and Singapore.

    The first merchants providing this new service are three stores of Colourmix at Causeway Bay, Hong Kong and two stores of BreadTalk in VivoCity and Marina Bay Financial Centre, Singapore.

    Next, UnionPay mobile QuickPass QR code payment will be introduced in the travel destinations favored by Chinese tourists, including Thailand, Indonesia and Australia.

    The new service supports NFC contactless payment with UnionPay chip cards, smartphones and wearable devices. Outside mainland China, mobile QuickPass is now accepted at about 500,000 POS terminals across Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Russia, the UAE, etc. Customers can pay easily by tapping mobile phones. The newly launched QR code payment is a significant supplement to NFC payment.

    “We are accelerating the rollout of various mobile QuickPass products and services outside mainland China so that we can bring faster, more convenient and secure payment options for our customers,” said Cai Jianbo, CEO of UnionPay International.

    “We choose to launch UnionPay QR code payment first in daily spend merchants to meet the diverse tourist payment needs resulting from the Chinese tourists’ preference shift from group tours to free-and-independent traveling. I believe that in the near future, customers outside mainland China will also be able to enjoy this safer and easier QR code payment service.”

    With the launch of Consumer Presented QR Code in Hong Kong and Singapore, China cardholders can add their UnionPay cards to the “UnionPay Wallet” APP, press “Payment Code” and choose “Overseas Payment Code” to generate a QR code, and then have it scanned by the cashier to complete payment.

    In Hong Kong, the service supports the combination of payment code and e-coupon code. Customers using the UnionPay cross-border marketing platform, u·plan, can get an exclusive e-coupon code from the u·plan zone in the “UnionPay Wallet” APP, and have it scanned by the merchant to enjoy discount while making payments.

    Compared with other QR code payment products, UnionPay mobile QuickPass QR code has three major features: Firstly, it is with global interoperability. Secondly, this payment mode provides greater safety as it uses the tokenization technology. Thirdly, it provides comprehensive services including risk compensation mechanism.

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  • 3 HK, GASH Point team on gaming services

    3 HK, GASH Point team on gaming services

    3 Hong Kong, the mobile division of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong (HTHKH), has signed an agreement with GASH Point, an Asian digital entertainment payment platform, in its latest push to tap the growing gaming market.

    As part of the agreement, the pair will launch co-branded game points cards, ranging between HK$10 ($1.28) and HK$1,500. Users can use the cards to access 3,000 mobile and PC games, as well as digital content. Gamers could also be offered privileges such as special edition gaming equipment.

    The operator said customers can buy GASH game points and receive bonus game points amounting to not less than 5% of a purchase via 3 Hong Kong’s direct carrier billing service. Such transactions will be charged directly to a 3 Hong Kong customer’s mobile bill, thereby providing total peace of mind when making a purchase.

    Gamers holding a GASH Point account can access digital entertainment content via the Gash app. Such items include games such as Clash of Kings, MonsterStrike and the Xifeizuan Palace Game. The app also allows access to Japanese digital content via the DMM.com audio-visual gaming platform and the DLsite.com online shop dedicated to otaku, Japan’s anime and manga fandom scene.

    Kenny Koo, 3 Hong Kong’s director of roaming and service development, said the co-branded cards are expected to be introduced in July at the earliest.

    Koo said 3 Hong Kong is the first operator in the city to seal such a deal with Gash, and the company expects the collaboration with GASH Point will help boost mobile data usage and consumption of value added services.

    The collaboration with GASH Point is the company’s latest effort to build an integrated gaming platform for gamers. In May, 3 HK and Razer, a lifestyle brand for gamers, formed a strategic partnership to collaborate on a number of areas including co-branding, mobile devices and plans, and virtual currency distribution, as well as open RazerStore in Hong Kong.

    “We aim to become the telecoms operator of choice among gamers. The route to this goal involves collaboration with world-class partners, so we can offer the hottest gaming products and services, while delivering the latest eSports information,” the executive said.

    GASH COO Simon Lu said the collaboration with 3 Hong Kong provides local users with a convenient payment method and is “an important milestone” in its penetration of the Asian market.

    “This [partnership] will allow us to extend our operational scale, enhance the GASH application user experience, establish an online-to-offline (O2O) scenario and revamp GASH’s website in order to improve loyalty among members. What’s more, we will offer specially-tailored services, while developing more payment options and making an even greater diversity of digital entertainment content available to satisfy user demand and boost our membership numbers,” he said.

    Lu said there is a lot of potential in gaming market in Asia Pacific, which generated $46.6 billion of revenues in 2016, up 10.7% from the year before.

    GASH currently has presence in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea, with over 10 million registered users across these markets and an annual transaction of $300 million.

    Lu said Hong Kong currently contributes about 15% of the company’s total revenue and gamers in Hong Kong spend two and three times more than those in Taiwan.

    In addition to gaming, Lu said GASH and 3 Hong Kong will also explore in other areas such as co-organizing e-sports tournaments and digital entertainment content.

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  • Fornarina has opened its new Hong Kong showroom

    Fornarina has opened its new Hong Kong showroom

    The stunning showroom is in Silvercord Building, located in Tsim Sha Tsui, on the world famous shopping street Canton Road. It’s the most important location, where all international fashion brands are present.

    It will be Fornarina’s hub for Asia Pacific, and will serve as the point of reference for development and expansion strategies in the region.

    The newly renowned showroom is contemporary, designed with simplicity and flexibility to accommodate various collections and strategies of the brand. It is a creative hub and destination where Fornarina customers will be inspired and be part of.

    The opening is part of Fornarina worldwide relaunch, thanks to investments of a new ownership. Hong Kong based Bright Fame Holdings owned by the People Group (a leading global design, manufacturing & sourcing group in women’s and men’s footwear, handbags and accessories) acquired the Italian brand on November 2016.

    “The opening of Hong Kong showroom demonstrates our commitment for the global expansion of Fornarina, especially in the Asia corridor, where the brand can tap in a new generation of style conscious consumers. We are focused not only on maintaining and growing in Europe, but more importantly to expand our reach in Asia Pacific, where the brand is still in its early stages of awareness. We believe our Hong Kong showroom will become an important base, and we look forward to welcoming all our Fornarina partners and fans to our new hub!” stated Tina Liu President of the People Group.

    Fornarina’s positioning is focused on the core DNA of denim and footwear, with apparel complementing the overall brand spirit. Designed in Italy, the look is chic and contemporary, targeting the young, fun, and emerging consumer.

    “Our vision is purely international, 35% of our turnover comes from Italy and 65% from abroad. We will be present at the most important international fairs for shoes and clothing, and we are considering new distribution agreements in Europe, USA, and Asia. We plan to have a double digit growth in 2017, after 10 euro millions turnover of 2016” commented Mauro Gabrielli Managing Director of Fornarina.

  • Chanel’s pop-up Coco Café is finally in Hong Kong

    Chanel’s pop-up Coco Café is finally in Hong Kong

    Coco Café is finally landing in Hong Kong this week. After its eye-poppingly Instagrammable stops in Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore and Shanghai, Chanel’s pop-up café will be taking over the Causeway Bay (G/F 38 Yiu Wah Street, Causeway Bay) branch of Coffee Academics from June 10 to 25.

    The beauty brand has created its own chic little universe, where you can sit back with a neon pink cup of coffee and peruse a special edition of The Coco Daily (don’t forget to bring your shades to complete the Parisian café look).

    Of course, it is Chanel, so they’re not just going to serve lattes and cakes—you can also expect to see ‘beauty bubble tea’ and perfume-inspired juices on the menu, if they follow their recipes from Singapore.

    After that, head over to the beauty counters for a free mini makeover, and then get a quick change of your nail shades at the nail bar. Spruce up your look with some tattoo stickers, and spritz on some Chance fragrance for the final touch.

    Don’t forget to commemorate the occasion with a few snaps in the photo booth, which will have Chanel-themed digital stickers. We have our heads in a fluffy pink cloud just dreaming about it.

    As if that’s not enough, visitors will also be treated to a sneak preview of Chanel’s new lip product, Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur. The intense crayon lipstick, which comes in 11 shades, will be shown in Asia for the first time.

    Gorgeous makeup and delectable treats—what more could a girl ask for? Register online for a complimentary drink, door gift and priority entry. Time slots are filling up fast, so we suggest you get on it quickly.

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