Special Supplement: Lam Soon heads for North China

Lam Soon Hong Kong Group recently held a news conference in Beijing, announcing its intention to market all its six product brands in North China on a large scale, with the nation's capital as the focus of its sales network.

W F Leung, Group Managing Director of Lam Soon Hong Kong Group, said the six brands, including the two flour brands Golden Statue and American Roses, edible oil brands Knife and Red Lantern, and Axe and Labour brand detergents, are very popular in the markets of Southeast Asia and China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and have won the title of Hong Kong's famous-brand products several times.

"However, we need to further improve their market recognition in North China," Leung noted.

In August, Golden Statue flour won the title of China's top brand, reflecting its increasing popularity in the Chinese mainland.

With China's economic development, people's living standards are also improving, leading to stronger demand from consumers for high-quality food products.

In view of the market trend, Lam Soon has established a strong presence in the South China and East China markets.

Lam Soon is the only company in Hong Kong to have won six famous brand titles, and continues in its endeavor to regularly present various new products to meet the demands of high-end consumers.

In the past two years, Lam Soon's new developments included the Knife brand olive oil and olive-mustard seed oil.

The Red Lantern brand oil includes such new products as mixed olive oil, mixed corn oil and mixed peanut oil, all produced according to scientific and nutrition stipulations.

At the news conference in Beijing, Lam Soon unveiled such new products as organic flour made from high-quality wheat produced in Canada.

About Lam Soon

Lam Soon is recognized as a leading name in Southeast Asia, a reputation that has been built up over the group's prolonged and proud history in the region. Founded in Singapore in the 1930s, Lam Soon first began trading in edible oils, rice and copra. As the company continued to develop and expand, Lam Soon started its oil and fat processing business in Singapore and Malaysia in the late 1940s.

In 1961, Lam Soon began operating in Hong Kong, and the group is now a renowned entity in the food supply market. Not only is Lam Soon the major player in edible oils and home care products in Hong Kong, it also owns one of the largest overseas-owned flour mills in China, and is the largest independent easy open ends manufacturer in the nation.

A major milestone in this success came in 1972, when Lam Soon (Hong Kong) Limited was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE Stock Code 0411). In 1991, Lam Soon Food Industries Limited, one of the subsidiaries of the Lam Soon (Hong Kong) Group, was also listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and was later privatized in 2002.

In 1997, Hong Leong Group Malaysia became one of the major shareholders of the group. Hong Leong is one of the largest conglomerates in Malaysia, with its core business including financial services, manufacturing, distribution, and property and infrastructure development.

Lam Soon believes its strong brands, commitment to quality and well-established distribution network create its competitive edge in satisfying the need for healthy quality products among consumers.

These achievements also extend to China, the world's largest potential market. Lam Soon's products have successfully achieved great market penetration in South China. Its oil product brand "Red Lantern" has swept millions of mainland homes, and its detergent product brand "Axe" has also become well known for its high quality.

(China Daily 11/23/2007 page15)