FIVE MINUTES WITH

Five minutes with Emmanuel Farcis The head of asset management at Link on transforming Hong Kong’s fresh markets. By Charmaine Ng

Born in Southern France, Emmanuel Farcis spent his formative years in Paris, before coming to Hong Kong as an exchange programme student at one of the local universities. Captivated by the city and what it offered, he decided to stay in Hong Kong and travel to other parts of East Asia after his schooling.

Eventually, his time in the city led him to his current role as Head of Asset Management at Link. At the company, he has helped transform countless shopping centres, introducing new shops and restaurants in various neighbourhoods in the process.

One of the main projects Farcis and his team have worked on since his start at Link is the revitalisation of Hong Kong’s fresh markets, a cornerstone of local life and culture. The company has recognised that not only do these markets make Cantonese cuisine what it is, but they also highlight the importance of community.

“Hong Kong’s fresh markets are a key in local life, as daily purveyors of fresh, affordable, quality and diverse produce,” says Farcis. “They are places you are familiar with, where you can grow trusting relationships with merchants, obtain advice and tips, see familiar faces. Above all, markets are social hubs that need to work hard for the communities they serve.”

For Farcis, many older fresh markets around the city have seen better days. “Due to their age, some markets have become unwelcoming, dark, wet, dirty, hidden… in short, not somewhere where I would choose to buy my food.”

These issues are the very ones that Link tackles in its revitalisation scheme. The company considerably modifies the layout and outlook of its markets and shopping centres to create vibrant facilities. It helps facilitate improved people flow to create more vibrant leisure facilities. It also commands the installation of escalators and air-conditioning to bring the markets back to the heart of the communities.

“By creating a welcoming, clean environment where people are comfortable browsing, the markets serve their neighbourhoods better,” says Farcis. “We work a lot with our merchants to display produce in the best possible way to showcase their wares. And, we connect our markets to our shopping centres, making them visible and attractive from the outside and inside with wide and bright entrances.”

As mentioned, Link helps curate the right tenants to offer the widest possible range of products at various price points. Its markets supply a mixture of locally-grown and imported fruits and vegetables; fresh, chilled and frozen meat, seafood and fish; traditional groceries; Chinese, Asian and Western ingredients and produce; and introduces novel products such as alternative plantbased meat. “We adapt our trade mix depending on the size, location and customer profile of each of its markets,” concludes Farcis.

Link’s revitalisation efforts have paid off, as evidenced by the number of younger stall workers who are attracted by the pleasant working environment found at its markets. Unlike supermarkets or even older fresh markets, Link’s reworked markets offer visitors both young and old an unbeatable multi-sensory experience.

Ultimately, Farcis’ aim is to see Hong Kong’s traditional market experience evolving into one more attuned to modern need, by offering greater convenience, hygiene and a sense of community. His job at Link has not only proved this to be a possibility, but also a reality.

From its home in Hong Kong, Link Asset Management Limited (Link) manages a diversified portfolio including retail facilities, car parks and offices spanning Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Sydney and London. For more information, visit linkreit.com

Nicole Slater meets the experts ready to take 2021 by storm. Photography by Karin Bremer

If 2020 taught us anything, it was the importance of health - both physical and mental. As we usher in a new year under some eerily similar circumstances, Nicole Slater sought out the advice and experience of some of Hong Kong’s newest and most experienced experts in the fields of health, sport and the rapidly-emerging CBD space. Read on to learn their advice for 2021.

George Bigelow

Founder of Hong Kong CBD

After leaving a promising career as an investment banker in 2016, Dee Oh sought out a more meaningful profession that would add value to other people’s life, while maximising her own potential.

That journey led to founding Dee Dream Life, a fitness, yoga, dance and life coaching community with a focus on creating a positive and supportive place for all ages and social statuses.

“I love inspiring, motivating and encouraging others to achieve their maximum potential in life,” says Oh.

After experiencing mental health challenges and depression as a teenager, Oh turned to dance and meditation as a coping mechanism, which helped her through some difficult years.

“In hindsight, I see these challenges as the biggest inspiration behind my passion to help others. I struggled through many ups and downs but somehow always had the strength and guidance to push through and become As a professional golf caddie, George Bigelow travelled the world competing in tournaments. But averaging a walking distance of 20km each day sometimes weeks in a row across multiple time zones eventually took its toll.

Bigelow began experiencing joint pain, exercise-induced inflammation and problems sleeping. He eventually turned to CBD to help reduce his symptoms and was surprised by just how well it worked.

“The additional benefits that most surprised me were improvements in sleep and mood,” he says. “It gave me resilience to stress and mental clarity during times of anxiety.”

Since being legalised in Hong Kong early last year, CBD has become a hot topic with coffee shops and brands selling CBDrelated products right across the city.

But Bigelow found himself frustrated

Dee Oh Founder of Dee Dream Life a better and stronger person.”

Dee Dream Life is more than just a platform to have fun and get fit for Oh and her students. The studio centres around the need to fill a gap within society, providing a warm and safe place with community spirit for students from all walks of life to engage their body, mind and soul through enriching activities.

Oh believes that now more than ever is a time for supporting others.

“This year is going to be challenging. Many people have either lost their jobs or had a paycut. I want to focus my time on career coaching as many people as possible as well as focusing on mental health through meditation and exercise.”

By continuously listening to what society needs, Oh has remained extremely busy and productive over the past year - despite the unexpected starts and stops imposed by government regulations. In fact, she managed to increase her network by connecting with others abroad. deedreamlife.com with the difficulty of finding top quality CBD at an affordable price. So he took matters into his own hands, creating Hong Kong CBD.

“I want to give CBD the legitimacy it deserves, which is why I am uniquely focused on Softgels to give precise dosage, nanoemulsion technology and CBD plus additions like cucurmin and melatonin to aid in specific conditions.”

His unique softgels are easy to swallow and enter the bloodstream faster than other forms of oil, providing quick and predictable relief for those who need it.

Heading into 2021, Bigelow believes that wellness will take a front row seat in many people’s lives.

“I think once we can turn the corner on the pandemic, a lot of people are going to take care of their mental wellness by shifting their focus to the new pace of life.”

hk-cbd.com

Sonia Samtani

Founder of All About You Hong Kong

Growing up in Hong Kong, Sonia Samtani experienced a range of cultures and beliefs from an early age. Upon entering her 20s Samtani began to make a fundamental shift in her mental work and inner-beliefs and saw positive changes in her confidence, health and relationship with others.

“I realised that everything starts from looking inside and I wanted to share those tools with others. I have always maintained that I am my very first and most frequent client,” says Samtani.

She founded All About You, Hong Kong’s only English-speaking centre that trains people to become mental wellness practitioners, in 2013. “My vision was to empower individuals with simple, yet powerful tools to navigate through the ups and downs of life with awareness and acceptance.” The centre specialises in private sessions, workshops and practitioner training programs in Mental Wellness.

After a tough year Samtani believes many people’s emotions have been triggered but the underlying issues were always there. “The seed for those issues would have been planted a long time ago through the beliefs we already cultivated. If you trust things will be okay, know you are enough and accept things as they are, you will be able to handle the shifts with peace,” says Samtani.

One of the biggest fears many people face is the fear of the unknown and Samtani has been guiding her clients through online workshops and private sessions, which saw an increase of 50 percent last year.

“People have had the time to focus inwards or feel so uncomfortable with their anxiety that they’ve been more willing to ask for emotional support,” says Samtani.

Over the next year Samtani hopes to normalise the idea of therapy, take away the stigma and help society accept that anyone who is feeling taken-over by emotions of fear, anger, anxiety or depression can benefit from receiving support for mental health. allaboutyoucentre.com

Boanne Cheung

Founder of Boppee Shop and former Miss Hong Kong

Boanne Cheung wasn’t interested in health. That was until the threat of diabetes crept up on her and she decided to seek help. That was 10 years ago. Since then she has maintained a strict personal diet plan and shares her experience and challenges with family and friends.

“I always encourage them to try different products, as they may not find the right product straight away.”

Cheung’s life changed dramatically when she was crowned Miss Friendship at the Miss Hong Kong contest in 2017. Following this she made a decision to share her health knowledge and created an online store Boppee, which supplies health supplements and skincare products from around the world.

“Although Hong Kong has many shops that sell health products, I feel there is a lack of information. I wanted to create a platform where people can learn about the ingredients and what they do,” says Cheung.

Since 2019, Boppee has provided Hongkongers with supplements, detox drinks and a range of beauty products to kickstart a healthy lifestyle.

While 2020 was tough on business, Cheung was relieved to be exclusively online and maintained a steady stream of business while keeping costs to a minimum. Ultimately, high quality products and brands were the secret to success, plus a supportive network of family and friends. boppee.shop

Stefanie Hemshall

Founder Escapade Sports

Studying medicine in France, Damien Mouellic went on an exchange programme to Melbourne where he discovered Osteopathy. “I decided to leave medicine and enroll in the osteopathic faculty as the philosophy and different approach to health resonated better with me personally,” says Mouellic.

Since then he has opened two clinics in Hong Kong, Central Wellness and Stanley Wellness. They offer a range of treatments from osteopathy and physiotherapy to hypnotherapy and counselling for children and adults.

“Hong Kong is a fast growing city for health and wellness engagement. People understand the importance of diet, exercise and a balanced lifestyle. The younger generations here seem to be incorporating wellness in their day to day life, with meditation and yoga becoming more mainstream.”

Despite the pandemic and needing to Having called Hong Kong home for more than 22 years, Stefanie Hemshall loves the outdoors and can frequently be found walking her Jack Russell.

She founded local sports retailer Escapade Sports after taking over her father-in-law’s shop at the Hong Kong Cricket Club.

“My father-in-law was looking for something to keep him occupied in retirement and as an honorary member of the club, he enjoyed spending his days there, drinking lots of coffee, looking after the shop and connecting with old friends,” says Hemshall.

Little did she know that the Cricket Club’s humble shop would turn into the premium sports platform that it is today.

“Our clients range from top athletes to everyday active people and we are very grateful to have so many loyal customers who showed their support during these testing times.”

Like many businesses last year, Escapade Sports had to make cuts to ride out the pandemic.

“We downsized our office space, renegotiated contracts and managed to cut a lot of cost. We also had to analyse the new

Founder of Central and Stanley Wellness close for a month last year, Mouellic was able to keep the team together and became a father to a new born baby.

“I am extremely grateful that we have been able to maintain an adequate level of business and have not had to let staff go. The key is to use the quieter times to work on public relations and digital marketing.”

Despite the positive outcome for Mouellic, he understands that it hasn’t been smooth sailing for all.

“We will be increasing our mental health team and trying to tighten up our functional medicine model by making sure health is not just focused on physiology but also on our environment and community,” he says.

While the future remains uncertain, Mouellic and his team believe that by addressing the root cause of an issue and maintaining an efficient immune system we can best prevent illness and reduce the severity of potential infections. stanleywellnesscentre.com shopping behaviours and what products are in demand.”

But with more people than ever heading to the hills and exercising outside, Hemshall says demand for running gear and watersport equipment has continued to grow.

Being forced to slow down in 2020 allowed Hemshall to discover new interests, including Chi Gong and Tai Chi, along with volunteering at RUN, a local charity which rehabilitates refugees through sports and education.

“I strongly believe in the mental health benefits of volunteering, but also in doing work with your hands and spending time among the community,” she says.

“Women have sat together to do handicraft for centuries and it provided them with a community, a network and a support system which many people in this modern world are lacking.”

With a new year starting down at us, Hemshall has a few words of wisdom: “We don’t have to be the best in what we do, but have to enjoy what we do.”

Damien Mouellic

escapade.com.hk

Frankie Law

Founder of Gentle Bro CBD

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Frankie Law has always been on the lookout for new trends to introduce to the local market.

Having suffered from anxiety from a young age, Law found it difficult to work in a fast-paced city like Hong Kong.

“At some point in my real estate career, the workload and stress became too much and affected my health, both mentally and physically. I tried to relax and did things that I enjoy doing whenever I could, but that just wasn’t enough,” he says.

After being introduced to CBD, Law was amazed by the results and found it helped him to restore balance back to his mental and physical health.

“It relieved my stress and anxiety, calmed my mind and helped me sleep.”

Wanting to share his new found knowledge with other Hongkongers, Law decided to bring his own brand of cannabidiol to the market and founded Gentle Bro CBD.

Gentle Bro CBD offers a range of cannabidiol including oils, body balms and even products for your pet. He opened his first store on Pottinger Street last month (Room 102 Lap Fai Building, 8 Pottinger Street).

While the quality of his products speak for themselves, Law found it hard to shake the stigma around the oil.

“For the local market the stigma of ‘weed’ means it took more time for them to learn and understand the difference of compounds in cannabis,” he says.

While Hong Kong’s CBD industry continues to grow, Law believes that more education about the oil and its benefits is needed for it to become accepted in Hong Kong’s culture.

gentlebro.com.hk