History of Lane Crawford in Hong Kong

HF: Lane Crawford (HK) Limited is a retail company founded in 1850 operating specialist department stores selling luxury goods in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

In August 1850 two Scots Thomas Ash Lane and Ninian Crawford opened a shop in a makeshift bamboo structure on the waterfront at the present location of Des Voeux Road. Taking each of their individual surnames, Lane Crawford occupied a number of retail sites along Des Voeux Road and Queen’s Road Central.

In the early 1900s, it expanded with stores in Guangzhou and Shanghai in China, and Kobe and Tokyo in Japan. It offered services including a tailor and outfitter, a draper, a provisions dealer, a wine and spirits merchant, an auctioneer of antiques, a baker, a restaurant, as well as a bar.

During the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong between 1941 and 1945, all Lane Crawford properties and assets were taken over by the Japanese Authorities, who transferred the store’s operations to the Japanese Chain. Matsuzakaya.

Following damages resulting from the Second Sino-Japanese war, Lane Crawford had to rebuild from scratch, so it began expanding its import-export division from foodstuffs to luxury items such as cosmetics and pearls. By 1975 jewellers accounted for 42 percent of sales.

Source: Wikipedia

This article was first posted on 24th March 2025.