A S Watson & Co., Limited (ASW) is one of the longest established and best known trading names in Asia. The company began as a small dispensary in Guangzhou, China in 1828. By 1841, the company moved to Hong Kong and established the Hong Kong Dispensary. It also became one of the first companies in the world to produce carbonated soft drinks.

Today, the ASW has developed into a renowned
international retail and manufacturing company with a network of over 7,900 retail stores in 33 countries worldwide - Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Morocco, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

With a workforce of over 98,000, ASW portfolio encompasses some of Asia's top retail brands. These include health & beauty specialist Watsons Your Personal Store, PARKnSHOP supermarket, TASTE food galleria, GOURMET boutique style fine food hall, GREAT Food Hall, Fortress electrical appliances chain, Watson's Wine Cellar and Nuance-Watson airport duty free shops. ASW is also a major manufacturer and distributor of water products and beverages in the region with Watsons Water, Mr. Juicy and Sunkist being the flagship brands in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

In Europe, the Group operates nine health & beauty chains - DC, Drogas, Kruidvat, Rossmann, Savers, Spektr, Superdrug, Trekpleister and Watsons Your Personal Store, as well as three luxury perfumeries and cosmetics retail brands: Marionnaud, ICI PARIS XL and The Perfume Shop.

In Switzerland, wine-trading company Badaracco has one of the world's largest inventories of fine wine, and is a valued member of the ASW family, bringing valuable synergy to the Group's retail operations.

A S Watson & Co., Limited
Watson House
1-5 Wo Liu Hang Road
Fo Tan, New Territories
Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2606 8833
Fax: (852) 2695 3664
Website: www.aswatson.com

Copyright 2003 Hutchison Whampoa Limited.    All rights reserved.    Disclaimer