[Leica] Leica Stores in Hong Kong

[cummer at netvigator.com (H&ECummer)]

Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2012 04:14:03 +0800
From: David Ching <davidhhching1 at yahoo.com.sg>
Subject: Re: [Leica] LUG Digest, Vol 51, Issue 238
To: "lug at leica-users.org" <lug at leica-users.org>

The first official Leica store in Singapore is in the exclusive Raffles 
Hotel, the other two in another 5-star hotel and ION, a high street shopping 
centre on Orchard Road.  
The locations of these three stores speaks for itself the kind of market 
Leica is targeting. Things have obviously changed when celebrities were used 
for the launch of the inaugural store in the hotel which was named after the 
founder of colonial Singapore. It's really for the rich and maybe diehard 
pros. Actually never met a pro today in Singapore or Malaysia or anywhere in 
this region who uses Leicas exclusively for assignments. I read that Ming 
Thein loves his Leicas but uses Nikons for real work.

And the new M is unlikely to change the scenario here. Perhaps the West is 
different.

David Ching

Hi David,
In Hong Kong the Leica stores are in IFC II - (where the most profitable per 
square foot Apple store in the world is located), Times Square in Causeway 
Bay ( some of the most expensive commercial real estate in the World)
Ocean Center in Tsim Sha Tsui (ditto for real estate expense) and at 
Terminal 1 at the Hong Kong airport. They are all decorated in Black and 
Leica Red with glass cases and mandarin speaking staff. I never shop in any 
of the stores and pass by
the store in IFC II on almost a daily basis when I am in Hong Kong. I like 
the back street camera stores where I have shopped for many years and can 
chat, fondle and bargain a bit.
Howard
PS:  Maybe 15 years ago one older accredited photographer used  a Leica film 
M for wide crowd shots at the Hong Kong Rugby 7's while hauling a Canon Slr 
with a huge white lens on it for rugby action.
Haven't seen him the last few years. Maybe he has retired. That was the only 
professional use of a Leica that I ever noted in HK except for last year 
when a young photographer showed up with an M9 and the now nearly standard
Nikon Dslr with the big black zoom on it.
Howard