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Fortnum & Mason Launches First Overseas Store in Hong Kong

Fortnum & Mason Launches First Overseas Store in Hong Kong

(Bloomberg) -- Fortnum & Mason Plc, the London retailer known for its Christmas gift hampers and royal warrant to supply groceries to the queen, is opening its first overseas store later this year in Hong Kong.

The 312-year-old brand will sell tea, biscuits and other British goods from a 7,000-square-foot store at Victoria Dockside, a new $2.6 billion waterfront development, according to a statement. While rival department stores in North America, Asia and Russia stock Fortnum products, this will be the chain’s first stand-alone store outside the U.K. It follows the company’s most recent opening in London last year as it continues to expand its brick-and-mortar presence.

It’s a departure from current trends within the sector, with U.K. retailers scaling back their physical presence as customers increasingly do their shopping online. For the last five years, store closures have risen while fewer have been opening, placing pressure on landlords to cut rents.

“We have seen significant appetite for the Fortnum’s brand and products in the region, with impressive year-on-year sales growth,” Chairman Kate Hobhouse said in a statement. “Our latest expansion in Asia is an important next step for us, as we extend our reach further across the world.”

The concept store will also feature a Fortnum restaurant overlooking Hong Kong’s harbor, where they’ll serve English afternoon tea. The venture will create around 90 new jobs in the city, according to the statement.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ellen Milligan in London at emilligan11@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Eric Pfanner at epfanner1@bloomberg.net, John Lauerman, Jonathan Roeder

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