Hong Kong has become an important giftware-sourcing centre, exporting a wide variety of items ranging from price-competitive goods for the premium and give-away markets, to middle and high-end gifts.

Many Hong Kong companies employ their own designers to produce a diverse range of products, while some manufacture according to customers’ specifications.

For Ninkin Watch Co, it is this willingness to “go the extra mile” for the customer that is credited with the company’s success in the fast-track industry of fashion watches.

Marketing manager Mei Dang recalls an occasion when a customer from Istanbul needed plastic cases for his Ninkin watches. “At the time, we did not manufacture such cases, but we sourced them for him,” Dang says.

Ninkin began making plastic watches two years ago and has expanded to include alloy and brass models. The company’s staff members initiate design ideas and then work with Hong Kong-based design houses on such details as colour.

Design and services both rank among Ninkin’s strongest selling points. Inspiration for new designs often strikes Dang and her colleagues as they engage in a leading Hong Kong activity: shopping. They stress the importance of seeing first-hand what people consider desirable.

Ninkin’s series of World Cup 2002 watches is novel because the company does not usually focus on theme-related designs. The series features six plastic watches with colourful soccer-related items like balls, players, shirts and flags on the straps. Three models have soccer-ball designs framing the dials.

Major export markets for Hong Kong gifts and premiums are the US, followed by Japan, the UK, Germany and China. As an emerging market, the mainland offers good opportunities as urban population and income continue to grow.