As Chinese New Year beckons and we await the Year of the Tiger, our Chairman, Kevin McCabe, reflects on the performance of the Group’s Far East operations over the last 12 months.
2021 presented many challenges for China’s economy as it battled a second year of endless lockdowns in a bid to combat the spread of Covid-19 but, thankfully, the green shoots of recovery are now beginning to show.
The food and beverage industry, arguably one of the hardest-hit by the pandemic, accounts for a significant proportion of our Far East activities through our Espuma and newly-launched Café Library brands. Thanks to the strong leadership of our Chief Executive, Susan Tham and dedication of the team on the ground, our business remains resilient in spite of the restrictions, and we look forward to progressing the Group’s ambition of doubling the number of outlets over the coming years.
The addition of our new marketing suite in our Bank of America Tower office in Hong Kong’s Central Business District is also on track to coincide with the launch of Phase 3 at Middlewood Locks, which will no doubt prove extremely popular with the Hong Kong market as businesses and individuals look to take advantage of the UK Government’s visa scheme allowing British National (Overseas) passport holders and their dependents a route to residency and eventual citizenship.
The appointment of Chinese state-owned enterprise, BCEGI as principal contractor on Phase 3 of Middlewood Locks is also a reflection of our strong ties with the country and something we are keen to build upon as we continue to advance our Keep Building ethos across the Northern Powerhouse.
We view our Hong Kong office with much pride as they have played and continue to do so an important role in the Groups overall activities. To all colleagues and past partners in both Hong Kong and PRC get ready to enjoy a happy and prosperous Year of the Tiger!
Xiannan hao
Kevin McCabe
Chairman | Scarborough Group International
