For a territory whose economic might was founded on trading, the fact that trading conglomerates rule its daily life will come as no surprise. For a visitor, their reach is not immediately obvious, but it does not take long to figure it out.
Take this short tour and consider just three of the better known groups: Jardines, Hutchison Whampoa and Swire Pacific. Say you arrived on business, staying at the Mandarin Oriental (Jardines). Perhaps you flew in on a Cathay Pacific flight (Swire). Maybe after breakfast you headed to the Landmark development (also Jardines) for a meeting. Afterwards, wandering to your next appointment you stopped by a Watson’s pharmacy (Hutchison) for the toothpaste you forgot to bring. Lunch, and you head over to one of the hotels or restaurants in Pacific Place (Swire). At some point during the day, you stop by a 7-Eleven (Jardines) for some water, either Bonaqua (Swire) or Watsons (Hutchison). Browsed electronic gadgets in one of the city’s many Fortress stores? That is a Hutchison-owned chain, too.
These are just a handful of the tangible ways Hong Kong is affected every day by these vast groups, which operate under various names. Hutchison and Jardines also dominate the city’s virtual supermarket duopoly and all three have vast portfolios of prime property. Their activities increasingly extend into China and across Asia.