Watsons Hall
A.S. Watson Group (屈臣氏集團)
That Watsons has become Hong Kong’s oldest surviving retailer comes down entirely to market demand. In 1843, in the early days of the British presence in Hong Kong, most of the Britons arriving from Europe could not adapt to the Hong Kong climate and fell ill one after another — the records call it the “Hongkong Fever”, and it was so severe that as many as 24% of the British troops died of it.
The Watson’s dispensary and early Hong Kong history
1858
Mr Watson
In 1858 the British pharmacist Mr Alexander Skirving Watson joined The Hong Kong Dispensary as its manager. He later took over the dispensary business, formally registering and operating it under the name A.S. Watson & Company in 1871.
1841
The Hong Kong Dispensary
Because the British struggled to adapt to Hong Kong’s climate, the forerunner of the Watson’s dispensary — The Hong Kong Dispensary — had opened as early as May 1841 around Possession Street in Sheung Wan, chiefly supplying medicines to the British garrison in Hong Kong.
After Mr Watson joined The Hong Kong Dispensary, it began producing medicines under its own A.S. Watson brand (1871), became the “appointed” dispensary to the Governor of Hong Kong and the Duke of Edinburgh (1869), and established scholarships in support of local medicine (1870s). Among the scholarship winners of 1888 was a name everyone knows — Sun Yat-sen, in the years before he overthrew the Qing government and founded the Republic of China.
1903
Watsons Distilled Water
In the early 20th century, sanitary conditions in Hong Kong were still dire, and a deadly outbreak of plague struck; many people fell ill from drinking contaminated water. In response, “Watsons Distilled Water” was brought to market in 1903, providing the people of Hong Kong with safe, reliable drinking water. Watsons’ chief operating officer, interviewed by the media in recent years, likewise remarked that water and health are intimately linked — the best medicine for treating the sick is clean water.
From a marketing standpoint, Watsons Distilled Water was also opening up a new market, for in those days nobody would pay for water. Combining this with the production capacity of Hong Kong’s first aerated-water factory, which it had opened back in 1875, Watsons pushed harder into the drinks market. You may occasionally come across old photographs and advertisements for Watsons “sa si” (沙士, sarsaparilla soda) — and it turns out that in 1948 Watsons launched the 30-cent “SuperCola” (哥喇), successfully challenging the 40-cent Coca-Cola. Watsons’ development in the drinks market is yet another brand story that people recount with relish.
Entering the daily life of Hong Kong
In 1963, Hutchison (和記企業有限公司) acquired the A.S. Watson company. Hutchison later became Hutchison Whampoa Limited, the predecessor of today’s CK Hutchison Holdings.
From then on, the A.S. Watson Group’s brands found their way into almost every Hong Kong person’s daily life.
In 1972, it acquired two supermarkets in Stanley and founded the “PARKnSHOP” supermarket chain.
In 1973, it acquired the Peter Pan company and launched “Suet Saan” ice cream (雪山雪糕) in Hong Kong, selling the brand in 1999 to the Wall’s brand under Unilever.
In 1981, the A.S. Watson Group was acquired by Hutchison Whampoa Limited, formally entering a period of rapid growth under the management of Li Ka-shing.
In 1990, Hutchison Whampoa folded Fortress (豐澤電器), the electrical-goods chain it had acquired in 1986, into the A.S. Watson Group.
In 1998, it founded “Watson’s Wine Cellar”, opening its first shop in the ifc mall Phase 1 in Central.
After 2000, the A.S. Watson Group launched supermarket brands with different market positionings, including “Great”, “fusion”, “Taste”, “Gourmet”, “International” and “SU-PA-DE-PA”. According to the group’s website, Watsons also runs the “Mr. Juicy” (菓汁先生) and “Sunkist” (新奇士) drinks brands.
Watsons’
overseas brands
Entering the 21st century, the A.S. Watson Group expanded its business abroad, acquiring retail brands in many countries, including Savers, Kruidvat, Superdrug, Trekpleister, Rossmann, ICI Paris XL, Drogas, Cosmo, The Perfume Shop, Spektr and DC.
After acquisition, some of these retail brands took on Watsons’ management style, and even its brand image. According to the A.S. Watson Group website, by 2019 the group’s retail stores around the world numbered more than 15,000. Hong Kong people who love to travel may well spot the likeness of “Watsons” abroad.
Sources:
https://www.aswatson.com/zh/our-company/our-history/#.X1cP72czZs8 [archived]
https://hkindustry2020.com/QR.php?id=3
https://www.gvm.com.tw/article/41556
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20131103/L5FNMFO4NUNOAYQWVVVBF2TXIM/ [archived]
「工」不可沒 - 香港工業傳奇展覽 (“Striving and Transforming: The History of Hong Kong Industry”) @ Hong Kong Museum of History
Published in Sep 2020 by Hong Kong Brand Museum 香港品牌博物館