Biscuit maker co-founded by former Miss Hong Kong applies for IPO, plans to expand to Canada and Taiwan

Hong Kong biscuit producer Cookies Quartet, co-founded by a former Miss Hong Kong, has applied for an initial public offering in the city.

Co-founded by Miss Hong Kong 1985 Tse Ning, food and lifestyle writer Yuen Tung Kwan and pastry chef Yiu Man Wong in 2008, the company owns eight stores offering 30 flavours across Hong Kong. It manufactures all its products in San Po Kong, in northern Kowloon.

In a document submitted to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing on Monday evening, the company said it aimed to expand overseas and was already in agreement with two distributors to sell products in Canada and Taiwan. Expansion of online sales in China – where the company has been active since 2016 – through e-commerce platforms would also be an area of focus in the future.

In 2017, Cookies Quartet ranked second in terms of revenue out of the 32 biscuit retailers encompassing a total of 80 stores in Hong Kong, with its revenue of HK$80.7 million making up 13.6 per cent of the market, according to independent market research company Ipsos, which was commissioned by Cookies Quartet.

A top, unnamed, retailer had HK$206.9 million in revenue, a 34.8 per cent market share, while the top five retailers together accounted for 66 per cent of the market, according to Ipsos.