Director and deputy general manager Winston Chow at the new flagship store in Canton Road, Tsimshatsui, jewel in the crown of the Chow Sang Sang empire

In the fast-moving world of fashionable jewellery, Hong Kong firm Chow Sang Sang Holdings International finds innovation the key to building a leading regional brand.

As one of Hong Kong's oldest and most famous jewellery chains, Chow Sang Sang is an institution in Greater China. Established for over 75 years, the company is a recognised industry leader operating 44 shops in Hong Kong, 49 in China and 21 in Taiwan, with a turnover last year of HK$7 billion (US$900 million). Chow Sang Sang has an exclusive licensing deal to create jewellery for Disney, and is the only jeweller permitted to operate inside the new Hong Kong Disneyland, due to open in September.

Winston Chow Wun-sing, director and deputy general manager of the empire founded by his great-grandfather in 1934, says Chow Sang Sang needs to be a regional jewellery brand in order to stay competitive. It's no longer enough to mass-produce unbranded lines of jewellery, no matter how high the quality, he says. Survival depends on a good name built through innovation, both in terms of design and also business strategy.

Positioning itself as a Hong Kong brand is pivotal, says Mr Chow.

Leading player

"Hong Kong itself is a global offering, with a huge assortment of international brands, a unique culture that is truly the best of both (East and West) worlds, and a recognised platform for doing business. On the world stage, Hong Kong is a leading player."

However, the company also acknowledges the strengths of other players. Hence, one third of its products are self-developed, one third are imported (both branded and non-branded), and one third are sourced from Hong Kong partners.

An international platform does not just involve international brands - it means international qualities, Mr Chow stressed. It's about recognising that Italian jewellery designers are artistic, Japan's designers precise and Hong Kong designers stimulating - and that they can all work together.

Some of the firm's most successful collaborations have been with a Japanese partner whose designs are inspired by the unique jewellery in London's Victoria and Albert museum, the Disney deal that sees some of the world's most recognisable cartoon characters depicted in gold, and the new Calgaro line from Italy where exquisite creations are ingeniously crafted from silver and silk spun together. All are sold by Chow Sang Sang under exclusive licence.

Variety the spice of life

"As a retailer," he says, "you need variety in order to keep the customer interested. So, besides the branded items we bring in from Italy, when we market a collection there may be some pieces from our own designers, and some from our suppliers. As long as you have good and complementing designs you don't need to make that distinction."

The company believes that its future lies in trading as a Hong Kong brand within a regional greater China identity. Further international partnerships are very much on its radar.

"Japan is a small country, and a good word spreads quickly. However we would not spoil our business relationship by expanding into Japan, just as they would not come into our territory," Mr Chow said.

"But China is a huge market, and maybe we can work there as a team. We would not be competing, but working together and learning from each other - maybe that way we can all become a better player as well."

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