Watsons

Watsons, operating under the Chinese name 屈臣氏 (Jyutping: Wat1san4si6), is a leading health care and beauty care chain store in Asia and Europe. It serves as the flagship health and beauty brand of the A.S. Watson Group, which is predominantly owned by CK Hutchison Holdings.

History and Expansion:

Founding and Move to Hong Kong: The Watson family's involvement in the Far East began with Dr. Thomas Boswell Watson from Scotland, who set up a private practice in Macau in 1845. He moved to Hong Kong in 1856, becoming part owner of the Hong Kong Dispensary. The dispensary was later named A.S. Watson in 1870 after Alexander Skirving Watson took over in 1858.

International Expansion: From the late 1980s, Watsons expanded across Asia, opening modern stores outside Hong Kong in Macau (1987), Taiwan (1987), Singapore (1988), China (1989), Malaysia (1994), Thailand (1996), and the Philippines (2002). The brand continued to grow, reaching Indonesia in 2006, and Vietnam in 2019. In 2020, Watsons expanded into the Gulf region through a franchise agreement with Al-Futtaim, opening its first flagship store in The Dubai Mall.

Operations:

As of 2021, Watsons operates around 8,000 stores and over 1,500 pharmacies across 14 Asian and European markets, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. The company’s large-scale operations are supported by an extensive distribution network, including an 11-story distribution center that opened in April 1983.

Watsons has positioned itself as a leader in the health and beauty sector, offering a wide array of products and services. Its success is attributed to its ability to adapt to different market needs and a commitment to providing high-quality health and beauty products. Watsons continues to innovate and expand, further solidifying its presence as a dominant player in the global retail market.