Pantry Magic's Robert Esser is potty about Hong Kong and the opportunities it offers

Hong Kong's laissez-faire government and ease of doing business have persuaded American Robert Esser to quit his job with a gourmet food company and set up a niche store selling pots, pans and kitchen gadgets.

He opened Pantry Magic in Pedder Building in the heart of the commercial district of Central in January this year, selling items sourced directly from the manufacturers in the Chinese mainland and Asia. He also has an eye on expanding to Taipei, Singapore, South Korea and the Philippines.

Mr Esser's past experience as a professional chef gave him a good eye for quality and pricing. "To source and stock, you need to have complete lines. China has a bewildering array of products as it's the factory of the world, but my experience as a professional chef has helped.

Competitive pricing

"We source directly from the manufacturers, brand them and ship directly to other countries. We're sharing the same manufacturers as some of the biggest brand name cookware in the world but at 30 to 40 per cent cheaper prices, and we also offer lifetime warranty for these products," he said at a webcast interview.

Mr Esser said Hong Kong is a fantastic place for entrepreneurs.

"Hong Kong is also very competitive on logistics as there are thousands of logistics providers. When you order one or two product lines from a manufacturer on the mainland, you don't have to ship in a 20 ft container. You can bring them into Hong Kong in two or three pallets rather than a full container," he added.

As someone who has lived in up to five major cities in Asia for 16 years, he says everything works in Hong Kong. "You pick up a phone on a Sunday and someone comes and fixes the phone. You turn a switch on and the light comes on and stays on. There are some places in Asia where this does not happen."

Only in Hong Kong

Mr Esser said that for his kind of business, he can't do it anywhere else in the world.

"Hong Kong is very competitive and entrepreneurial. It is easy to run a business here as we're not hampered by a goods and services tax or any excessive regulations that make things difficult. I can focus nearly 100 per cent of my attention on my business - unlike many of my customers in Europe and the US who are worried about all sorts of regulations like taxes or employment ordinance.

"Things seem to work in Hong Kong as the Government is more or less hands off," he said.

Kitchen magic made in Hong Kong

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