Page 17 - Sphere No.18 (Feb 2007)

service both Superdrug and Savers.
In 2005, ASW bought Merchant
Retail Group thereby acquiring its
third UK chain - specialist fragrance
retailer, The Perfume Shop. The
chain had 114 stores and at the time
its new parent spoke of the poten-
tial to add another 100 stores within
three to five years. It looks to be on
track - the 149th The Perfume Shop
opened just before Christmas.
The art of Sen
While ASW’s UK operation is playing a significant
role in the overall European portfolio, Hutchison Chi-
na MediTech (Chi-Med) has been busy introducing
London consumers to traditional Chinese medicine
(TCM) through its Sen lifestyle products and ser-
vices. With a holistic and natural approach to health
and beauty, Chi-Med has six stores in some of Lon-
don’s most upmarket shopping areas, including one in
Knightsbridge.
Inside a Sen store, customers can relax in a stress-
free environment and enjoy Chinese herbal teas, con-
sult TCM specialists or have a massage or acupuncture
treatment. They can also choose from a range of up-
market herbal skin care and herbal body care prod-
ucts. Chi-Med floated on London’s Alternative Invest-
ment Market last year and plans to open seven more
Sen stores in the capital over the coming 18 months.
Going underground
Over the last few years, HWL has also expanded into
the UK’s utilities sector with the acquisitions of Cam-
bridge Water and Northern Gas Networks (NEG).
Cambridge Water has a fascinating history dating
back to 1325 when Franciscan monks first laid a water
pipe from a natural spring in Cambridge to their mon-
astery. Fast forwarding nearly 700 years, the company
was bought by Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings
(CKI), part of the HWL Group, in 2004.
Cambridge Water supplies nearly 75 million litres
of fresh water daily through a 1,400-mile network of
water mains to some 300,000 customers in the historic
university town of Cambridge and surrounding area.
In June 2005, a restructuring of the UK gas indus-
try created another opportunity for HWL. National
Grid, which owns and operates the high-pressure gas
transmission system in Britain, sold four of its eight
regional gas distribution networks. The North of Eng-
land network was subsequently bought by the NEG
consortium in which CKI and Hongkong Electric
together hold a majority 59.9 per cent stake and the
Li Ka Shing (Overseas) Foundation has a 15.2 per cent
shareholding.
Consisting of 22,370 miles of gas mains that sup-
ply 2.5 million households, the network spans a large
area from the Scottish border to South Yorkshire and
from the Cumbrian coast in the West to the Northum-
berland coast in the East. It serves some of the UK’s
largest cities including Newcastle, Sunderland, Leeds,
Hull and Bradford.
“Everything has come together well,” said NEG
Chief Executive Officer Basil Scarsella. “We are on
track to achieve our goal of being ranked amongst the
top gas networks for safety management, customer
service and efficiency.”
SPHERE 15
ASW’s UK operation is
playing a significant
role in the overall
European portfolio