Lane Crawford - History

History

In August 1850, two Scots, Thomas Ash Lane and Ninian Crawford, opened a shop in a makeshift bamboo structure on the waterfront of what is now Des Voeux Road. Since that time, Lane Crawford has occupied a number of prime retail sites along Des Voeux Road and Queen's Road Central; in the early 1900s it also had stores in Canton and Shanghai in China, and Kobe and Tokyo in Japan. It has been a tailor, and outfitter, a draper, a provisions dealer, a wine and spirits merchant, an auctioneer of antiques, a baker, a restaurant and a bar.

The company slogan evolved from "The Place to Buy Anything from a Pin to an Anchor" (1899) to "Get It at Lane Crawford's" (1926).

After the war, Lane Crawford was forced to rebuild from scratch, and so it began to expand its import export division from foodstuffs to include luxury items such as cosmetics and pearls. By 1978, jewellery accounted for 60 percent of sales.

In 2004, Lane Crawford launched a new style of retail store at ifc mall. With panoramic views over Hong Kong's harbour, the 82,000-square-foot (7,600 m2) store consists of a series of gallery-like rooms displaying designer fashion and lifestyle brands alongside artworks. The following year, a new store was opened at Pacific Place, using innovative materials, technology and lighting. In 2007, the company opened a freestanding "home store" at Pacific Place Mall, and its first modern-day store in mainland China.

Today, the focus has shifted from department store to speciality store offering exclusive brands. Its stores in Hong Kong and Beijing sell womenswear, menswear, shoes & accessories, lingerie, jewellery, cosmetics, and "Home & Lifestyle" goods from around the world. It seeks to stand out as a brand by emphasising its distinctive product selection, retail environments with displays of modern art, and services such as Personal Stylists and Cosmetic Concierge.

Lane Crawford's buyers are prominent participants in European fashion shows, and the company's stores present brands recognised as leading designers in the West but relatively unknown in China.