Hutchison Whampoa
Encyclopedia
Hutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong
is a Fortune 500
company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14 countries and run under the 3
brand. Its business also includes retail, property development and infrastructure. It is 49.97% owned by the Cheung Kong Group.
, established in 1863 by British merchant John Duflon Hutchison, and Hutchison International in 1877. Hutchison International, under Colonel
Sir Douglas Clague
(1917–1981), gained controlling interest of Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock in the 1960s.
In 1977, Hutchison acquired all stakes of Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock and became Hutchison Whampoa Limited.
Although Hutchison had a portfolio of valuable real estate interests in docks and retail ventures, the company ran into trouble, and had to be rescued by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. The bank took a 22% stake in the company, and had Clague replaced.
On 25 September 1979, at the close of trade in London
, the Bank announced it was selling its stake in Hutchison to Cheung Kong for HK$639 million.
On March 2011, Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (HPHT) announced that the company will IPO through Singapore Exchange for about $5.4 billion. It will be the largest offering in South East Asia and surpass Petronas Chemicals offering at about $4.1 billion.
and appear on the charity's 'dirty list' for their involvement in trade with the military junta
in Burma. They state that the company's subsidiary Myanmar International Terminals Thilawa (MITT) is 'strategically positioned to facilitate and service Myanmar’s international trade' and are concerned about the role foreign investment plays in 'perpetuating' the country's brutal regime. However, there are also views that boycotts may not be effective and the people of Burma deserve the support and assistance to get back on their feet.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
is a Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Hong Kong Stock Exchange
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in Hong Kong. It is Asia's third largest stock exchange in terms of market capitalization behind the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange and fifth largest in the world...
. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14 countries and run under the 3
Hutchison 3G
3 is a brand name under which several UMTS-based mobile phone networks and Broadband Internet Providers are operated in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom...
brand. Its business also includes retail, property development and infrastructure. It is 49.97% owned by the Cheung Kong Group.
History
Hutchison Whampoa was originally two companies founded in 19th century, namely Hong Kong and Whampoa DockHong Kong and Whampoa Dock
Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock was a Hong Kong dockyard once among the largest dockyards in Asia. Founded in 1863 by Douglas Lapraik and Thomas Sutherland, the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company...
, established in 1863 by British merchant John Duflon Hutchison, and Hutchison International in 1877. Hutchison International, under Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Sir Douglas Clague
Douglas Clague
Colonel The Honorable Sir Douglas Clague CBE, MC, QPM, CPM, TD was a British soldier and entrepreneur who spent most of his life in Hong Kong.He was born in Rhodesia ....
(1917–1981), gained controlling interest of Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock in the 1960s.
In 1977, Hutchison acquired all stakes of Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock and became Hutchison Whampoa Limited.
Although Hutchison had a portfolio of valuable real estate interests in docks and retail ventures, the company ran into trouble, and had to be rescued by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. The bank took a 22% stake in the company, and had Clague replaced.
On 25 September 1979, at the close of trade in London
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
, the Bank announced it was selling its stake in Hutchison to Cheung Kong for HK$639 million.
On March 2011, Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (HPHT) announced that the company will IPO through Singapore Exchange for about $5.4 billion. It will be the largest offering in South East Asia and surpass Petronas Chemicals offering at about $4.1 billion.
Company
HWL currently operates in 54 countries and employs around 230,000 staff worldwide. The company has five core businesses:- Ports and Related Services
- Property and Hotels
- Retail
- Energy, Infrastructure, Investments and Others
- Telecommunications
Industries
HWL operates in businesses related to:- Ports and Related Services: Hutchison Port HoldingsHutchison Port HoldingsHutchison Port Holdings is a private holding company incorporated in British Virgin Islands, it is the subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa. In April 2006 Hutchison Whampoa sold 20% shares to PSA International, Hutchison Whampoa still owned 80%....
(HPH) operates across EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the AmericasAmericasThe Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. It operates in five of the seven busiest container ports in the world, handling 13% of the world’s container traffic. Hutchison Whampoa operates container terminals in Panama, as it does in Mexico and other parts of the Americas. - Property and Hotels: From office buildings in Hong Kong, BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, to luxury residential properties in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Hutchison Whampoa Properties Limited develops and invests in real estate. Together with Cheung Kong Holdings, HWL has set up a joint-venture company, Harbour Plaza Hotel Management (International) LimitedHarbour Plaza Hotel Management (International) LimitedHarbour Plaza Hotel Management is a hospitality management company in Hong Kong. It is jointly owned by Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings, and managed as part of the Hutchison Property division....
to operate and manage hotels under the portfolio of the Hutchison Property division. - Retail: A.S. Watson & Co., LimitedWatson'sWatson's or Watson's is part of the Health and Beauty retail and consumer division of the Hong Kong-based A.S. Watson Group, which in turn is part of the world wide conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Ltd...
(ASW), HWL's retail arm, operates its flagship retail chains in Asia such as Watson's, PARKnSHOPPARKnSHOPPARKnSHOP is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong, the other being Wellcome. PARKnSHOP operates more than 260 outlets in Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China....
supermarket, TASTE food galleria, GOURMET boutique style fine food hall, GREAT Food Hall, Fortress electrical appliances store, Watson's Wine CellarWatson's Wine CellarWatson's Wine is wine retailer in Hong Kong and a member of the A.S. Watson Group , a wholly owned subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa Limited. They offer a comprehensive selection of fine wine, spirits, accessories and cigars...
and Nuance-Watson duty free operator. In Europe, ASW's retail network comprises health and beauty chains: DC, Drogas, KruidvatKruidvatKruidvat is a Dutch retail, pharmacy, health and beauty chain which also has branches in Belgium. The first Kruidvat was opened in 1975 by Dick Siebrand. In addition to Kruidvat itself, Kruidvat Holding also owned ICI Paris XL and Trekpleister in the Netherlands and Belgium...
, RossmannRossmannRossmann or Roßmann is the name of* Michael Rossmann , German-American physicist* Edmund Roßmann , German World War II fighter ace- See also :* Rosman...
, SaversSavers (UK)Savers Health & Beauty is a discount chain based in the UK retailing a variety of health, beauty, household goods and medicines, alongside a range of fine fragrances....
, SuperdrugSuperdrugSuperdrug Stores PLC is Britain's second-largest beauty and health retailer behind Boots. Superdrug - part of the AS Watson Group which in turn is part of the Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa - is a UK based company with over 890 stores, which since 2006, includes the Republic of Ireland...
, Trekpleister, Spektr and Watson's, as well as luxury perfumeries and cosmetics retail brands: Marionnaud, ICI PARIS XLICI Paris XLICI Paris XL is a perfume shop chain founded in the late 1960s in Belgium. The name ICI Paris XL means 'This is Paris' and was derived from the train trips that were undertaken by the founders on the their way to buy perfume from the famous French capital Paris...
and The Perfume ShopThe Perfume ShopThe Perfume Shop is a United Kingdom perfume retailer founded in 1992. The company was acquired by the world's largest health and beauty retailer, A.S. Watson Group in 2005. The company is based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, with two distribution centres: one in Dunstable which serves The...
. A.S. Watson is the world's largest health and beauty retailer. - Energy, Infrastructure, Investments and Others: Cheung Kong Infrastructure (CKI), HWL’s infrastructure arm, is a diversified infrastructure company with businesses in transportation, energy, infrastructure materials, water plants and related operations. HWL has an interest in Hongkong Electric Holdings (HEH), the sole electricity supplier to Hong Kong IslandHong Kong IslandHong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
and Lamma IslandLamma IslandLamma Island , also known as Pok Liu Chau or simply Pok Liu , is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District.-Name:...
. Hutchison is also a major shareholder of Husky EnergyHusky EnergyHusky Energy Inc. is a large integrated Canadian energy company based in Calgary, Alberta. Husky's foundation is in Western Canada, where it has extensive conventional oil and natural gas assets, significant heavy oil production and a range of midstream and downstream operations, including...
, one of CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's largest energy and energy related companies. - Telecommunications: HWL owns the "3" brand. It also owns 60.4% of Hutchison Telecommunications International LimitedHutchison Telecommunications International LimitedHutchison Telecommunications International Limited is a leading global provider of telecommunications services. The Group currently offers mobile and fixed-line telecommunication services in Hong Kong and Israel, and operates mobile telecommunications services in Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and...
(HTIL), which provides mobile phone networks and data services in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Another percent of HTIL is owned directly by Cheung Kong Holdings, the holding behind Cheung Kong group to which HWL belongs. Additionally, HWL is an official backer of the .mobi.mobiThe domain name mobi is a top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from the adjective mobile, indicating its use by mobile devices for accessing Internet resources via the Mobile Web....
top level domain created specifically for the mobile internet and has launched the mobile portal Three.mobi under its "3" brand. - Phone manufacturing: In 2008 Hutchinson Whampoa established a subsidiary, INQINQINQ is a mobile phone manufacturer, headquartered in London with offices in Rome, San Francisco, Beijing and Hong Kong, Toronto, Seattle, Singapore and Delhi....
, to manufacture mobile phones. In 2009 the INQ1INQ1The INQ1 is the first product of the Hutchinson Whampoa subsidiary, INQ. The INQ1 was released in December 2008 as a social-networking phone. Retailing at a cheaper price than competitors such as the iPhone, Blackberry Storm, G1 and Nokia 5800, it also contains slightly fewer features than other 3G...
won GSMA Awards in Barcelona.
Criticisms
Hutchison Whampoa has received criticism from charities such as the Burma Campaign UKBurma Campaign UK
Burma Campaign UK founded in 1991 is a London based Non Governmental Organisation that aims to achieve the 'restoration of human rights and democracy in Burma . BCUK campaigns on behalf of the Burmese pro-democracy movement and is the largest campaigning organisation for Burma in Europe...
and appear on the charity's 'dirty list' for their involvement in trade with the military junta
Military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
in Burma. They state that the company's subsidiary Myanmar International Terminals Thilawa (MITT) is 'strategically positioned to facilitate and service Myanmar’s international trade' and are concerned about the role foreign investment plays in 'perpetuating' the country's brutal regime. However, there are also views that boycotts may not be effective and the people of Burma deserve the support and assistance to get back on their feet.
See also
- List of companies in Hong Kong
- Swire GroupSwire GroupThe Swire Group is a transnational corporation headquartered in the Swire House in the City of Westminster, London, England. It controls a range of wholly owned businesses, including deep-sea shipping, cold storage, road transport, and agricultural activities. The current chairman is James...
- Jardine Matheson Group
- List of charities in the People's Republic of China
External links
- Hutchison Whampoa
- Hutchison Whampoa Limited Company Profile Yahoo! Finance