Latest news with #OceanEmpire
South China Morning Post
20-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong leader downplays business closures, cites GDP growth, more registered companies
Hong Kong's leader has downplayed concerns over the sluggish economy after a recent string of business closures, saying the city had achieved GDP growth over the past year and that the number of registered companies had hit a record high. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday also urged businesses to reform themselves amid what he called a transitional period, following the recent abrupt closure of the 33-year-old congee restaurant chain Ocean Empire. 'New demands and new likings are emerging. There are sectors which do well and some sectors which don't do as well. Some shops are closed while many are opened,' Lee said ahead of his weekly meeting with advisers on the Executive Council. 'There will be ups and downs in different sectors during this transitional period, but overall, we see positive growth in GDP this year,' he said, referring to recent estimates by the government that the annual figure would remain at 2 to 3 per cent. Despite the recent chain closures, Lee highlighted that the number of registered companies in the city had reached a record high of 1.46 million by the end of last year, an increase of some 29,000 companies. The 84 enterprises recruited by the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises were also expected to bring in direct investment of over HK$50 billion (US$6.39 billion) and create over 20,000 jobs, he added.
HKFP
12-05-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Over 100 Ocean Empire staff owed money before sudden closure, union says, with claims totalling over HK$15M
Restaurant chain Ocean Empire failed to pay over 100 workers before its sudden closure, with the Labour Department estimating that claims totalled around HK$15 million. Around 110 workers were not given their wages for April, severance pay, pay in lieu of notice, and outstanding Mandatory Provident Fund contributions, the Eating Establishment Employees General Union, a union under pro-establishment party Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), said last Friday during a meeting with workers affected by the shutdown. The union said in a statement issued after the meeting that the workers were employed as chefs, servers, maintenance workers and warehouse workers. It added that the affected workers included 19 people who were hired under the city's imported labour scheme, local media outlets reported. The labour and welfare chef Chris Sun told reporters on Saturday morning that the Labour Department had received around 100 workers' complaints, with claims totalling HK$15 million. The official said the government will provide assistance to both local workers and those under the imported labour scheme, adding that both types of workers enjoy the same labour rights and protections in Hong Kong. Sun urged workers who had not done so to report their cases to the Labour Department. Founded in 1992, Ocean Empire offered Cantonese congee, rice rolls and snacks. It had seven branches in the city before its closure, according to its website. At its peak, it had around 30 branches. Last Wednesday, the restaurant chain announced in a notice to staff that all branches would be closed on the same day, with immediate termination of all staff. The company said in the notice that it would communicate with staff about claims while suggesting that they reach out to the Labour Department to learn about their legal rights. However, former Ocean Empire staff said last Friday during meeting with the union that the management and founders of the restaurant chain had 'disappeared,' leaving workers lost, The Collective reported. 'Staff of Ocean Empire feel helpless in the face of the sudden closure. In the past, the company always followed procedures when closing down restaurant branches rather than announcing the sudden termination of workers' contracts,' the union wrote in the Chinese statement. '[The sudden closure] does not take into account workers who have worked hard for Ocean Empire,' the union added. HK$30 million invested after pandemic Ocean Empire broke their silence on Friday evening, saying in a statement issued on Facebook that they had invested over HK$30 million to 'save the business' since the Covid-19 pandemic and that the company had been hit hard by slow business. The founders said they sold their properties, took out loans, and allocated their assets in order to maintain the restaurant chain's cash flow. 'We… believed that the economy would improve after the pandemic… but Hong Kong's consumption habits and eatery styles changed beyond our control. People's needs for congee declined, and we had no way to tackle our deficit,' the Chinese statement read. It added that following the withdrawal of some shareholders, the founders eventually decided to wind up and liquidate the company.
South China Morning Post
11-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
What a 33-year-old congee chain's closure says about Hong Kong
The news of Ocean Empire, a 33-year-old congee restaurant chain, suddenly shutting down is not surprising. The catering industry has struggled mightily since Hong Kong reopened its borders after the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, and many local restaurants have bitten the dust. Advertisement The disrupter of the century so far, the pandemic has permanently changed so much in our lives – and not just in terms of people falling ill. We can see the effects of Covid-19 in every closed shop and struggling business . We can also see the impact of the measures taken to fight the pandemic in the lingering effects of prolonged isolation and limited socialisation on schoolchildren. Pandemic measures have changed our behaviour so much that Hongkongers are now eating out less . When the weekend arrives, people venture out to Shenzhen or other nearby mainland cities in search of better bargains and service. Revenge spending ' – the surge of spending that arose after months of boredom and sheltering in tiny living spaces – has turned into a habit for some. And as nostalgic as some of us are for the 'old' Hong Kong, far too many people continue to seek new experiences in new places. Even after the intrigue and excitement of the new wears off, the easy access to the mainland and the many choices and better prices businesses there offer consumers make it difficult to win back customers and diners at home. That is why the news of so many local restaurants shutting shop is alarming but no longer surprising. 03:39 Shop occupancy recovers in Hong Kong, but vacant stores still visible across the city Shop occupancy recovers in Hong Kong, but vacant stores still visible across the city Has enough been done to reverse this trend? Our government has definitely tried with some expensive campaigns, starting with ' Night Vibes Hong Kong ', in an effort to resuscitate the nightlife for which the city was once known. The pandemic choked off our nightlife and, after three years, we got accustomed to staying home.
RTHK
10-05-2025
- Business
- RTHK
'Top priority' for Ocean Empire workers' entitlements
'Top priority' for Ocean Empire workers' entitlements Chris Sun said he anticipates that Ocean Empire workers can recover back pay and other payments in approximately three months. Photo: RTHK Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Saturday that the authorities' top priority is ensuring laid-off workers from the defunct Ocean Empire Food Shop chain receive their full legal entitlements. Sun's remarks follow urgent appeals from employees after the 33-year-old local congee restaurant chain shuttered all outlets and ceased operations this week, leaving staff demanding action over unpaid wages, pension contributions and severance pay. The Labour Department has received requests for assistance from nearly 100 employees, involving claims amounting to approximately HK$15 million. Sun said that he anticipates that workers can recover owed wages and other payments in approximately three months. He added that the restaurant had employed around 19 imported workers, who are also entitled to the same labour protections as local employees, and these workers can claim unpaid wages through the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund. "It takes a bit of time, but they don't have to worry. Right now, under the fund, be it unpaid salaries, unpaid leave as well as severance payment, there is a well-established mechanism for them to get back money that is owed to them," Sun said. "We are working closely with the employers because with their help, it could speed up the whole process. "In Hong Kong we have very elaborated labour laws providing much needed and necessary protection for our workers, and such protection applies to both local and imported workers."
RTHK
10-05-2025
- Business
- RTHK
'Top priority' for Ocean Empire workers' entitlements
'Top priority' for Ocean Empire workers' entitlements Chris Sun said he anticipates that Ocean Empire workers can recover back pay and other payments in approximately three months. Photo: RTHK Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Saturday that the authorities' top priority is ensuring laid-off workers from the defunct Ocean Empire Food Shop chain receive their full legal entitlements. Sun's remarks follow urgent appeals from employees after the 33-year-old local congee restaurant chain shuttered all outlets and ceased operations this week, leaving staff demanding action over unpaid wages, pension contributions and severance pay. The Labour Department has received requests for assistance from nearly 100 employees, involving claims amounting to approximately HK$15 million. Sun said that he anticipates that workers can recover owed wages and other payments in approximately three months. He added that the restaurant had employed around 19 imported workers, who are also entitled to the same labour protections as local employees, and these workers can claim unpaid wages through the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund. "It takes a bit of time, but they don't have to worry. Right now, under the Fund, be it unpaid salaries, unpaid leave as well as severance payment, there is a well-established mechanism for them to get back money that is owed to them," Sun said. "We are working closely with the employers because with their help, it could speed up the whole process. "In Hong Kong we have very elaborated labour laws providing much needed and necessary protection for our workers, and such protection applies to both local and imported workers."
