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Eva Iding leverages Hong Kong's winning edge to serve a niche market in her homeland, Sweden

Swedish entrepreneur Eva Iding knew she was on to a winning formula when she started a company in Hong Kong four years ago providing sourcing, purchasing and quality control services for a niche market - Swedish companies with no physical presence in the city or in the Chinese mainland.

Gekko Limited has since grown from strength to strength. "My clients are now solely Swedish companies ranging from wholesalers and designers to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who do not have an office or do not intend to set up offices in Hong Kong. At the same time, they have decided to outsource production on the mainland."

Hong Kong, she said, is an ideal base for the kind of services her company provides. "We're a small operation and we always work with Hong Kong owned factories in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). This makes it much easier as the Special Administrative Region has a very reliable legal system and 160 years of unbroken tradition in doing business. Hong Kong companies are not the cheapest and they recognise that and don't compete on pricing. Instead, they're offering value-added (services), research and development, logistics and quick solutions."

Flexible, efficient

She added that Hong Kong suppliers are also flexible in payment and are highly efficient, working closely with clients to deliver good results. "Hong Kong is very efficient and a great place to meet up. You can see five different suppliers in one day, visit two to three factories in the PRD the next day, and then fly home to Sweden on the third day."

Ms Iding, who speaks Mandarin fluently having studied the language in Sweden, Beijing and Taipei, has always worked in the service industry. She arrived in Hong Kong in 1986 and moved here to stay in 1990. She worked in a buying office for a department store chain for 10 years before starting up Gekko Ltd.

"I started my company in 2002 as I wanted to be more hands on. There are now five of us and we have built up a solid base of clients. The Swedish are very demanding and competitive and that's great. I enjoy being in the factories and supervising the whole process from the factory to the store shelves."

She has also recently partnered with a Hong Kong engineering company with laboratory facilities in the city to provide for an even deeper quality control level. Ms Iding attends between 10 to 15 trade fairs in Hong Kong so she is up to speed with manufacturing facilities in the mainland.

Clear choice

Choosing to base her office in Hong Kong rather than in Shanghai or Shenzhen was a clear decision. "I've worked in Shenzhen and the PRD, but one thing is very clear: Hong Kong is my kind of city, and the PRD area is where I want to do business. I've thought about Shanghai but for my kind of business, I get more value for money being in Hong Kong and travelling to the PRD.

"Hong Kong is an international city, with an important role to play. We have the world factory at our doorstep, and everybody is very encouraging and supportive. What more does an entrepreneur need?"

Ms Iding will provide practical tips on doing business in China and Hong Kong at a seminar organised by the Trade Development Council in Stockholm on March 17. The other speakers include Thomas Lagerqvist, Resident Partner, Advokatfirman Vinge and Hans Strom, Regional Director, Envac Far East Ltd.

Details in Hong Kong and Guangzhou: Your Partners for Success in China