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354:(also known as Canton). It moved to Hong Kong and re-emerged as the Hong Kong Dispensary from 1 January 1843 under proprietors Drs. Alexander Anderson and Peter Young, trading at Capt Morgan's Bazaar. The company uses the date it moved to Hong Kong as its official date of establishment and does not describe its period in Guangzhou in its official account of its history; Richard Lord of the
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its first store in Taiwan and Watson's Wine opened in Hong Kong. 1998 also saw Nuance-Watson's retail stores open at Hong Kong
International Airport. AS Watson's water operations also expanded in 1998, but this time into Europe, through acquisitions. In 1999 AS Watson sold Mountain Cream, its ice cream businesses, which operated in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and southern China to the
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Fortress joined the AS Watson Group in 1990. 1994 saw the company open a new water factory in
Beijing and further expand Watsons The Chemist to Malaysia, by 1996 Watsons The Chemist had entered Thailand and in 1997 AS Watson Group had acquired Shanghai Sparkling Drinking Water. 1998 saw Fortress open
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stated that the company did this since one photograph is the only memorabilia and official document from its
Guangzhou period. Dr Alexander Skirving Watson joined the company in 1858. In 1869, the Hong Kong Dispensary was appointed to dispense to the Governor of Hong Kong and the Duke of Edinburgh.
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Drogas Health and Beauty Retail Chain was acquired by AS Watson in 2004, taking the group into the
Baltics, Watsons also acquired Apex Pharmacy Sdn Bhd in Malaysia. The Group purchased a 40% stake in Germany's Rossmann, adding 786 stores to the group's portfolio. TASTE food galleria launched in
520:. This had followed the aborted sale of Park'n'Shop, when no satisfactory offer was received for the business. The flotation of the group would take place 'in two or three years' in Hong Kong and Singapore, said Li Ka-shing at the time, rather than in Hong Kong and London as had been expected.
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In 2005 the group opened its 100th store in
Mainland China and its 300th store in Taiwan. The group entered Turkey with the acquisition of Cosmo Shop and the first Watsons Health and Beauty Store opened in Korea. 2005 also saw two major acquisitions in Europe with Marionnaud and
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2006 saw
Watsons open in Indonesia and it also celebrated its 200th store opening in June. AS Watson entered the Ukraine through the acquisition of DC, and Marionnaud expanded into Asia with its first store opening in the Philippines in September.
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in Hong Kong and China. In a 2018 interview, chief operating officer Malina Ngai stated that free drinking water was considered to be of poor quality at the time, and therefore the company was able to establish a market for selling drinking water.
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as the company launched its third-generation store, Watsons Water celebrated its centennial anniversary and launched its "Year of Hong Kong
Creativity". Fortress launched a new identity in Hong Kong and Nuance-Watson opened duty-free stores at
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AS Watson had its beginnings as the Canton
Dispensary and Soda Water Establishment, founded in 1828, as a small dispensary with the mission to provide free medical services to the poor people of the Southern Chinese province of
368:, registered as a limited company and had also completed its first expansion further into China and to the Philippines. By 1895 the company was operating 35 stores and producing 300 dispensary, toiletry and perfumery lines.
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A member of CK Hutchison
Holdings, ASW operates the world's largest portfolio of retail formats, retail brands and has the largest geographical presence. The company is majority owned by multinational conglomerate
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On 7 October 2023, the group launched a new brand identity, featuring a modernised visual identity. Emphasising the groups heritage and trust, injecting more energy into the brand.
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At the end of the 1980s, the company grew rapidly by entering Taiwan in 1987, Macau and
Singapore in 1988, and re-opening in China in 1989, all under the name Watsons' The Chemist.
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The year 2002 saw AS Watson expand into Europe and the UK even further with the acquisition of the Kruidvat Group, adding a number of different brands to its portfolio, including
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In 2000, AS Watson entered the United Kingdom with the acquisition of Savers Health & Beauty and in 2001 expanded its wine business with the acquisition of Badaracco SA.
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take full control of AS Watson becoming a wholly owned subsidiary. According to Ngai, the ownership gave Watsons the finances needed to expand its operations.
324:) is the world's largest international health and beauty retailer by number of stores, with over 16,500 stores in 28 markets, primarily in Asia and Europe.
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The proposed share sale of AS Watson Group has been put in hold, announced towards the end of 2013 with the appointment of three underwriting banks,
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In previous eras Watsons stores sold various kinds of general merchandise, but it became specialized in the pharmacy business as time went on.
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and AS Watson halted all operations in China. In 1941, AS Watson celebrated its centenary just months before the Japanese attack and the
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Group. At the time, Mountain Cream distributed Dreyer's in Hong Kong and China, and was the largest ice cream importer in Hong Kong.
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Rossmann celebrated its 2,000th store milestone in 2009, while Watsons opened its 500th store in Mainland China. COOL
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supermarkets from Y.K Lau, then in 1973 acquired Peter Pan Toy Shops and launched Mountain Cream, Ice cream products.
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During 2003 AS Watson signed an agreement to sell its European water operations to Nestlé,
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The Hutchison Group acquired a controlling interest in A.S. Watson & Co. Ltd. in 1963.
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473:. October 2005 saw the acquisition of Spektr, launching AS Watson in the Russian Market.
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2011 saw DC Ukraine re-branded as Watsons, and Watsons China opened its 1,000th store.
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In March 2014, Hutchison Whampoa sold an almost 25 per cent stake in AS Watson to
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in December that year. AS Watson eventually resumed business on 1 September 1945.
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Li Ka-shing sells nearly 25pc of AS Watson to Singapore investment giant Temasek
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The company began trading under the name A.S. Watson & Company in 1871.
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November 2004 and Watson's Wine launched a new concept store in Hong Kong.
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By 1886, the company had constructed its first factory in Hong Kong, on
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During 2010, Watsons card membership reached the 15 million mark.
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656:"Home - AS Watson Group | A member of CK Hutchison Holdings"
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in Birmingham, in the UK. There were new store openings for
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Temasek Holdings stake purchase and proposed share sale
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Friend of China and Hong Kong Gazette, 5 January 1843
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484:was revamped and re-branded to refresh its image.
371:In 1903, Watsons Water was established, selling
926:Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings
755:"Superdrug Parent Picks Banks For £15bn Float"
737:"AS Watson Group Refreshes its Brand Identity"
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717:- Print title: "Dispensing with tradition"
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120:Learn how and when to remove this message
583:(AS Watson (Health & Beauty UK) Ltd)
239:Malina Ngai (Group CEO, AS Watson Group)
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236:Dominic Lai (Chairman, AS Watson Group)
293:AS Watson (Health & Beauty UK) Ltd
422:2000–present: International expansion
250:Health, beauty & lifestyle brands
7:
58:adding citations to reliable sources
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996:
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567:Luxury Perfumeries and Cosmetics
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974:Hutchison Global Communications
459:Hong Kong International Airport
396:1972 saw AS Watson acquire the
345:1828–1999: Founding and success
153:Head office at Watson House in
45:needs additional citations for
1:
510:Bank of America Merrill Lynch
330:CK Hutchison Holdings Limited
1081:Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock
699:Lord, Richard (2018-10-27).
175:; 196 years ago
953:Park 'N Fly Airport Parking
931:Metro Broadcast Corporation
441:itself in Mainland Europe.
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588:Food, Electronics and Wine
384:Japanese invasion of China
165:Health & beauty retail
1034:Hongkong Electric Company
1018:Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison
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405:Hutchison Whampoa Limited
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706:South China Morning Post
450:Bullring Shopping Centre
357:South China Morning Post
203:16,500+ stores Worldwide
1039:Hutchison Port Holdings
921:Hutchison Port Holdings
505:, for HK$ 44 billion.
979:Hutchison Harbour Ring
916:Hutchison Asia Telecom
524:AS Watson Group brands
1145:CK Hutchison Holdings
936:Power Assets Holdings
824:CK Hutchison Holdings
779:at Wikimedia Commons
678:, SCMP, 22 March 2014
262:CK Hutchison Holdings
1071:Cheung Kong Holdings
54:improve this article
1114:Victor Li Tzar-kuoi
279:Number of employees
199:Number of locations
134:
1090:Affiliated company
1027:Equity investments
27:Hong Kong retailer
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1095:CK Asset Holdings
1076:Hutchison Whampoa
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775:Media related to
616:PARKnSHOP Yonghui
529:Health and Beauty
388:fall of Hong Kong
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18:A.S. Watson Group
16:(Redirected from
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110:December 2016
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71: –
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65:Find sources:
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43:This article
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911:Husky Energy
876:Food le Parc
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831:Subsidiaries
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710:. Retrieved
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660:aswatson.com
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573:ICI PARIS XL
542:Trekpleister
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188:Headquarters
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52:Please help
47:verification
44:
1119:Canning Fok
1109:Li Ka-shing
958:Hutchgo.com
209:Area served
69:"AS Watson"
1139:Categories
1102:Key people
946:TOM Online
890:Superstore
712:2018-10-30
642:References
577:Marionnaud
219:Key people
80:newspapers
1150:AS Watson
984:Orange UK
941:TOM Group
872:ParknShop
860:Superdrug
845:AS Watson
777:AS Watson
632:Mr. Juicy
622:Beverages
594:PARKnSHOP
556:Superdrug
446:Superdrug
431:Superdrug
403:1981 saw
398:PARKnSHOP
352:Guangdong
318:AS Watson
289:Divisions
227:Victor Li
213:Worldwide
192:Hong Kong
1013:AlipayHK
598:FORTRESS
546:Rossmann
538:Kruidvat
439:Kruidvat
416:Unilever
303:aswatson
283:130,000+
247:Products
231:Chairman
162:Industry
967:Defunct
883:Gourmet
850:Watsons
628:Sunkist
561:Watsons
454:Watsons
340:History
298:Website
178: (
170:Founded
94:scholar
1048:Brands
879:Fusion
855:Savers
838:Active
601:Fusion
551:Savers
534:Drogas
255:Owners
155:Fo Tan
96:
89:
82:
75:
67:
894:Taste
607:TASTE
604:Great
270:(25%)
264:(75%)
101:JSTOR
87:books
518:HSBC
516:and
437:and
316:(or
305:.com
180:1828
173:1828
73:news
322:ASW
320:or
56:by
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108:(
98:·
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