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| Jennifer WF Liu, founder and Chairman, Sir Hudson International Ltd |
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Jennifer Liu founded Sir Hudson Hospitality in 2003, with the first of her dining ventures, HABITŪ Ristorante, in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay. Its success led to a rapid expansion of the group, but it wasn’t the start of her entrepreneurship.
In 1998, the Hong Kong-born, North American-educated Ms Liu set up the city's first online property website, The Property Portal Ltd. This grew to become the biggest online property site in Asia, with offices in key cities on the Chinese mainland. It was finally sold to United States-based Homeseekers.com in 2000.
Expansion Plans
Not one to “sit around and wait for something to happen,” Ms Liu was inspired to set up a dining group by the boutique restaurants and cafés of Japan and Europe. Over the next eight years, Sir Hudson Hospitality developed into two key brands offering Italian and Japanese cuisine in various forms, including restaurants, cafes and the latest venture, HABITŪ Coffee Academy & Roasting Studio, which opened last October. The group operates 25 outlets in Hong Kong and is expanding into the mainland later this year through a franchise operation.
Ms Liu also plans to expand HABITŪ from its existing restaurant and café business into a lifestyle brand. Hong Kong, she said, is the place to make it happen. “Hong Kong has great legislation and financial systems,” she said, which minimises risks and encourages assurance.
“As Asia’s world city, it attracts talent, and we enjoy having a wide spectrum of international customers. We get lots of franchise enquiries from all parts of the world, from Abu Dhabi to Croatia to Mongolia. It’s just very exciting to be in the middle of such a vibrant hub.”
Entrepreneurial Vision
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caffè HABITŪ, which
sets itself apart by offering specialty coffee and unique recipes, is Hong Kong's third-largest
coffee chain |
She found her niche in the city’s entrepreneurial spirit. “Hong Kong is a multicultural city with open mindedness unparalleled in many other Asian cities,” Ms Liu said. “It welcomes new ideas, embraces creativity and innovation. I also find Hong Kong to be a suitable city for brand-building, with all its creative media, arts and movie talent.”
Even her youthful age – just 25 when she started – did not prove to be a hurdle in Hong Kong. “I was focused and serious and have found people will take you seriously if you show enough effort.” More of a challenge, however, were rising rents and the short-term vision of some landlords. “It took extraordinary effort and time to get into some major sites. Thankfully, things are slowly changing,” she said.
“Having 25 successful outlets and with the support of many fans and customers, we’ve created a core demand for our specialty and unique coffee recipes in the market. Landlords now come to us, offering us quality sites, and we get asked on a regular basis if we’re interested in opening up in their locations. We’ve organically grown our brand to become Hong Kong’s third-largest coffee chain, while maintaining our unique character.”
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The caffè HABITŪ Coffee Academy
& Roasting Studio, one of the
latest ventures by the group, provides workshops to the public
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Committed Workforce
A reliable workforce provides the foundation, according to Ms Liu. “Hong Kong is blessed with a strong working population filled with stamina, loyalty and dedication. It also has lots of visionary and capable managers who are willing to teach and nurture the young. I think our company is fortunate to have gathered many such people, setting and building the right corporate culture to foster our growth.”
Today, Sir Hudson International has 400 employees, including front-line staff at outlets, a 5,000-square-foot production kitchen, the Coffee Academy & Roasting Studio and office headquarters.
“Our first confirmed project in 2012 for Hong Kong is the opening of the caffè HABITŪ in CITIC Tower Central,” Ms Liu said. “We will be offering our home-roasted rainforest and organic coffee blends, and hearty vegetarian dishes with more emphasis on health and environment.” And the furniture, she added, will come largely from specially commissioned local designers.
In the works are an iPhone app for coffee e-commerce and single-origin, home-roasted coffee beans. They should be available in existing outlets and for corporate offices by March, according to Ms Liu, who is also involved in charitable projects, including Table for Two and Green Mondays.
Related Link
Sir Hudson Hospitality Ltd
