https://www.scmp.com/rss/151559/feed Sa Sa International Holdings is one of Asia’s leading cosmetics retailers. Founded in 1978, it listed in Hong Kong 1997, and its operations span Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Hong Kong’s major retailers are using aggressive tactics such as direct sourcing and leveraging massive economies of scale to avoid raising prices despite surging logistics costs arising from the war in the Middle East. But their resilience is being seriously tested for certain goods, with a leading cosmetics chain warning that shipping and airfreight costs have already surged by up to 15 per cent. Sa Sa International chairman Simon Kwok Siu-ming told the South China Morning Post on Friday that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3350713/hong-kong-retailers-leverage-scale-sourcing-offset-war-driven-cost-pressures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3350713/hong-kong-retailers-leverage-scale-sourcing-offset-war-driven-cost-pressures?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:30:08 +0000 Ken Ip Ken Ip There was a time when Hong Kong’s retail landlords looked untouchable. If you wanted a dependable income, you would buy shares in the city’s leading real estate investment trusts (Reits), the steady dividend machines of a service economy built on foot traffic, routine and the long-held assumption that Hongkongers would always shop. These companies were the unshakeable pillars of everyday commerce. They prospered not because the economy was roaring, but because consumers kept showing up. That era... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3333967/why-not-just-another-retail-downturn-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3333967/why-not-just-another-retail-downturn-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 08:30:08 +0000 SCMP Sport SCMP Sport Appearances by ex-Miss Hong Kong contestant Samantha Ko Hoi-ling and singer Yan Ting headlined the festivities at the 21st edition of the city’s most glamorous lifestyle racing event – Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse Day. Punters swathed in pink descended on Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday, with many flocking to the parade ring to watch singer Ting get the festivities under way shortly before the racing started. Sa Sa also forged a special collaboration with the Hong Kong Design Institute to present a dazzling... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/3332113/ex-miss-hong-kong-contestant-samantha-ko-among-guests-sa-sa-ladies-purse-day-goes-pink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/3332113/ex-miss-hong-kong-contestant-samantha-ko-among-guests-sa-sa-ladies-purse-day-goes-pink?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 13:45:03 +0000 Sam Agars Sam Agars It’s one of the more competitive editions in recent memory and Sunday’s Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) features a pair of former winners of the race, two Hong Kong Derby heroes and a host of other gallopers hoping to stake their claim for next month’s Longines Hong Kong International Races. The 2023 Ladies’ Purse victor, Encountered, and reigning champion Ensued chase repeat successes at Sha Tin this weekend, while the past two Derby winners, Massive Sovereign and Cap Ferrat, remain in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/3332021/former-winners-hong-kong-derby-heroes-do-battle-intriguing-ladies-purse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/3332021/former-winners-hong-kong-derby-heroes-do-battle-intriguing-ladies-purse?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 04:04:59 +0000 Salina Li Salina Li Hong Kong beauty products retailer Sa Sa International saw its profit jump almost fourfold in the last financial year as the number of mainland Chinese tourists returning to shop in the city continued to rise. The company said on Thursday it is cautious about opening new stores in the city, however, as the retail environment remains challenging in the absence of supportive government policies. The cosmetics chain reported a gain of 276 per cent in earnings to HK$218.9 million (US$28 million) for... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3267399/beauty-chain-sa-sas-profit-soars-mainland-tourists-return-shop-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3267399/beauty-chain-sa-sas-profit-soars-mainland-tourists-return-shop-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jun 2024 11:34:07 +0000 Hong Kong’s biggest cosmetics chain plans to open just a handful of new stores this year after shutting dozens during the pandemic as doubts remain that the city will return to its pre-Covid heights as a shopping mecca. The cautious outlook from Sa Sa International Holdings reflects broader pessimism over the pace of the financial hub’s economic recovery after Covid curbs were eased, with chief financial officer Danny Ho expecting sales to take until 2026 to return to pre-pandemic levels, while... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3215190/sa-sas-cautious-revival-shows-pessimism-over-hong-kong-recovery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3215190/sa-sas-cautious-revival-shows-pessimism-over-hong-kong-recovery?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Mar 2023 01:58:10 +0000 In crowded Hong Kong malls, shoppers can walk into local retailers and buy Fancl’s skincare and cosmetics products at knock-down prices, dramatically undercutting sales at branded Fancl stores throughout the city. Unofficial wholesalers of beauty products have been selling into Asian markets for years, but volumes surged during the coronavirus pandemic last year as they offloaded surplus stock. As a result, CMC Holdings, the sole legal distributor of Fancl in the region outside Japan is selling... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3118416/blackstone-carlyle-bain-among-suitors-fine-tuning-bids?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3118416/blackstone-carlyle-bain-among-suitors-fine-tuning-bids?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Jan 2021 01:00:21 +0000 Banking on the prestige of “Made in Hong Kong”, the city’s retailers see big opportunity in the potential of the Greater Bay Area and are aggressively expanding in one of China’s wealthiest regions. Personal health care giant Watsons, cosmetics retailer Sa Sa and casual dining restaurant chain Cafe de Coral are just some of the Hong Kong brands that are reaping the rewards of their forays into the growing economic hub. Their success in southern China is mainly predicated on the good quality that... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3114236/made-hong-kong-prestige-provides-springboard-retailers-watsons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3114236/made-hong-kong-prestige-provides-springboard-retailers-watsons?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Dec 2020 02:16:01 +0000 With the coronavirus pandemic and recession deepening the sales slump, leading Hong Kong retailers are adapting to the new normal by seeking growth in mainland China and via online channels while closing stores and pursuing bigger rent concessions. “Covid-19 has brought enormous challenges and evolution to the entire retail industry as well as to Sa Sa,” Simon Kwok, chairman and chief executive of Sa Sa International Holdings, said on Thursday after the cosmetics retailer posted deeper losses.... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3110566/hong-kong-retailers-sa-sa-and-tsl-jewellery-shift-focus-e?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3110566/hong-kong-retailers-sa-sa-and-tsl-jewellery-shift-focus-e?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Nov 2020 11:43:42 +0000 Sa Sa International Holdings is tapping the expertise of e-commerce solutions provider Boutir to shore up online sales as the coronavirus pandemic and new competitors threaten its position as Hong Kong’s biggest cosmetics retailer. The firm is setting up “personal online stores” for its beauty consultants to engage customers and strengthen brand loyalty after a distressing 12 months, when unprecedented social unrest and the ensuing pandemic triggered a record slump earnings. The partnership... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3096081/sa-sa-pushes-e-commerce-strategy-shore-sales-mainland-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3096081/sa-sa-pushes-e-commerce-strategy-shore-sales-mainland-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Aug 2020 04:30:32 +0000 Hong Kong’s biggest cosmetics retailer Sa Sa International said it is preparing for its biggest ever annual loss as the coronavirus pandemic and anti-government protests reduced tourist arrivals to a trickle, damaging sales. The beleaguered retailer said it could incur HK$500 million (US$64.5 million) to HK$600 million loss in the year ended March 31, according to a profit warning in an exchange filing late Tuesday, versus a HK$471 million profit a year earlier. It cited a decline in tourist... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3083077/hong-kongs-cosmetics-retailer-sa-sa-warns-record-loss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3083077/hong-kongs-cosmetics-retailer-sa-sa-warns-record-loss?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2020 04:05:23 +0000 Beleaguered Hong Kong cosmetics retailer Sa Sa International will focus on Hongkongers’ needs after local customers emerged as the biggest source of revenue in its fourth quarter, which runs from January to March end. “Local customers now account for most of the group’s revenue … [we] will continue to adjust its product mix to meet their demand for protective and pandemic-related products, and other beauty products,” Simon Kwok Siu-ming, the company’s chairman and chief executive, said in an... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3080099/sa-sa-targets-hongkongers-first-quarter-sales-fall-more-56-cent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3080099/sa-sa-targets-hongkongers-first-quarter-sales-fall-more-56-cent?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2020 12:51:09 +0000 As Hong Kong is engulfed by the perfect storm of the trade war between the United States and China, self-immolating upheavals linked with the extradition idiocy, and the Covid-19 panic sweeping the world, my conviction is reinforced that the heart of Hong Kong’s long-festering challenge is not erosion of freedoms, lack of access to good housing, or even low minimum wages and gross inequality. No, at heart, our main challenge is job insecurity. The past year has placed the livelihoods of tens of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3053034/hong-kongs-moment-crisis-exposing-its-true-challenge-chronic-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3053034/hong-kongs-moment-crisis-exposing-its-true-challenge-chronic-job?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2020 22:00:05 +0000 Good day, traders -- Hong Kong stocks fell as US-China tensions grew over what Beijing sees as Washington interference in its domestic affairs. China markets were mixed. Catch up on the day's action below. Please help us improve our blog by taking this quick -- under 2 minutes! -- survey. Your feedback will really help us make the blog better for you! Also, if you would like the Live Stocks Blog emailed to you each morning, click here.  -- Deb Price and Snow Xia in Hong Kong Note: Information in... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3040469/hang-seng-index-faces-donald-trump-saying-us-china-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3040469/hang-seng-index-faces-donald-trump-saying-us-china-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2019 01:19:36 +0000 Good day, traders -- Hong Kong stocks slipped on growing concerns the trade deal may be delayed over US-China tensions. Meanwhile, China stocks gained. Check out the day's action below. Please help us improve our blog by taking this quick -- under 2 minutes! -- survey. Your feedback will really help us make the blog better for you! Also, if you would like the Live Stocks Blog emailed to you each morning, click here.  -- Deb Price and Snow Xia in Hong Kong Note: Information in this blog is on an... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3040306/hang-seng-index-weighs-chinas-measured-response-us-supporting-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3040306/hang-seng-index-weighs-chinas-measured-response-us-supporting-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Dec 2019 01:19:08 +0000 Good day traders -- A rate increase in Hong Kong was not enough to lift the Hang Seng today. A flurry of late-afternoon buying drove Chinese stocks higher at the close. Join us tomorrow for more action from the trading floor. If you would like to receive the blog each morning via email, shoot Deb a message at deb.price@scmp.com. -- Zhang Shidong in Shanghai and Deb Price in Hong Kong https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3027999/stocks-blog-hong-kong-cuts-base-rate-after-us-fed-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3027999/stocks-blog-hong-kong-cuts-base-rate-after-us-fed-move?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Sep 2019 01:24:35 +0000 Cosmetics giant Sa Sa International Holdings saw same-store sales growth in Hong Kong and Macau slow to 2.4 per cent year on year from the start of last month to Sunday, down from 6.9 per cent in the six months to September. Chief executive Simon Kwok Siu-ming said the decline could be attributed to the impact of the Occupy movement but sales were improving week by week. "It has stabilised and it seems that consumer sentiment is coming back and people feel like they can start spending again,"... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1643407/sa-sa-sales-growth-slows-amid-occupy-protests-ceo-sees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1643407/sa-sa-sales-growth-slows-amid-occupy-protests-ceo-sees?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2014 20:05:35 +0000 Sa Sa International Holdings blames overexpansion in preparation for the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland last year for an 8.4 per cent fall in its full-year net profit to $185.2 million. The result still surpassed an average estimate of $182.5 million profit by 11 analysts in a Thomson Financial survey. Turnover for the year to March rose 13.3 per cent to $2.62 billion from $2.31 billion a year ago. Chairman and chief executive Simon Kwok Siu-ming said overexpansion - which included opening... https://www.scmp.com/article/554838/sa-sa-says-preparations-disney-hurt-profits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/554838/sa-sa-says-preparations-disney-hurt-profits?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:00:00 +0000 A story on B4 yesterday incorrectly reported cosmetics retailer Sa Sa International Holdings' budget for a 100-store expansion on the mainland. The company intends to invest $100 million to expand its retail network there. https://www.scmp.com/article/506648/corrections-clarifications?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/506648/corrections-clarifications?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jun 2005 16:00:00 +0000 Cosmetic product retailer Sa Sa International Holdings said it had sold all of its 55 per cent interest in Shenzhen Sa Sa Ebeca for HK$3 million. Chairman and chief executive Simon Kwok said the company would re-allocate its resources to suit its strategic plans for the China market. https://www.scmp.com/article/408379/sa-sa-sells-out-mainland-firm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/408379/sa-sa-sells-out-mainland-firm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2003 16:00:00 +0000 Hit by the deteriorating regional economy, Sa Sa International Holdings has warned that its interim results for the six months to September 30 would be substantially below market expectations. The result is expected to be announced in late December. In a statement, the company announced operating profits had been affected severely by the decrease in store sales due to the difficult economic climate in the region. The company said profit had also been affected by rising costs and a severe... https://www.scmp.com/article/259219/sa-sa-warns-interim-miss-expectations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/259219/sa-sa-warns-interim-miss-expectations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Oct 1998 16:00:00 +0000 Listing candidate Sa Sa International Holdings has fixed its share price at the high end at $2.38, sources say. The discount cosmetic retailer's share issue is understood to be about 500 times subscribed. https://www.scmp.com/article/198953/sa-sa-international-aims-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/198953/sa-sa-international-aims-high?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 1997 16:00:00 +0000