68-Year-Old Bakery Owner Becomes KOL to Save Struggling Hong Kong Brand from Northbound Shopping Wave
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Siu Heung Yuen, a traditional Hong Kong pastry brand founded by a family, is facing a 20-30% drop in sales due to Hong Kong residents increasingly shopping in mainland China. The 68-year-old second-generation owner Billy Lau has taken to social media as a KOL, while the nut tart product he developed has seen sales surge 2-3 times and sold out. The company is launching mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival and collaborating with YouTubers to revive the brand, planning to close 10 underperforming stores.
Key Points
- Business has declined 20-30% overall, with areas near Lo Wu seeing up to 30% drops, as approximately 30% of consumer spending has shifted to mainland China
- The 68-year-old owner Billy Lau (劉比利) personally appeared in videos after his team persuaded him, and the nut tart product sales increased 2-3 times, creating a "happy problem" of stockouts
- The company plans to significantly reduce 10 branches this year, as fixed costs including rent and labor cannot be cut, with monthly losses exceeding HK$10,000 per store
- For Mid-Autumn Festival, Siu Heung Yuen launched 9 types of single mooncakes at HK$50 each, plus a limited 3,000-box Tsar Mooncake gift box with Yes Card collaboration that sold out
- The second-generation owner emphasizes that while physical elements like packaging can change, the brand's spirit of "being serious" has been passed down through three generations
Why It Matters
The transformation of traditional Hong Kong brands like Siu Heung Yuen reflects the broader economic challenges facing small and medium enterprises in the city, as consumer spending patterns shift amid cross-border travel trends. The success of the owner's KOL strategy and YouTube collaboration demonstrates how heritage brands can leverage digital marketing while maintaining quality to attract younger customers, offering a potential blueprint for other struggling time-honored brands in Hong Kong
The transformation of traditional Hong Kong brands like Siu Heung Yuen reflects the broader economic challenges facing small and medium enterprises in the city, as consumer spending patterns shift amid cross-border travel trends. The success of the owner's KOL strategy and YouTube collaboration demonstrates how heritage brands can leverage digital marketing while maintaining quality to attract younger customers, offering a potential blueprint for other struggling time-honored brands in Hong Kong