9 July 2025

Can We Please Have “Provisional Outside F&B Seating” in Hong Kong Now By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Between 1989 and 2000, I developed the concept of “provisional restaurant licensing,” and by 2001, it had become a reality. In 2025, it is overdue to apply the same concept to outside seating accommodation (OSA). I advised […]

Insomnia, Simon Squibb, crying in your beer, Law Society regulations, help, timing and collaboration is the takeaway. By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law When my law firm was representing Insomnia in Lan Kwai Fong, we also knew Simon Squibb, who went on to great heights with HelpBnk after selling his HK company and relocating to

I Explored 3COINS in Japan—Now It’s Set to Launch in Hong Kong as Part of a Rapid Japanese Retail Comeback By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law 3COINS in Hong Kong signals retail is on the rebound, at least at the bottom of the value/price chain, and it isn’t just a one-off; many more are coming.

Japan Makes Food Trucks Work. Hong Kong can do it too very easily – here’s how! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Remember the food truck experiment here? Meant to unlock opportunity and spark entrepreneurship. Instead, operators cited high costs, limited use cases and lack of practical planning. The business case if evaluated clearly looked

JD.com Moves Into Full-Time Delivery Riders in Hong Kong. Perfect timing to Trial E-Bikes? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law JD.com is launching a full-time food delivery rider business in Hong Kong. So why not trial it with e-bikes? This is a major boost to the city’s online food business, and to the growing number

Pub with no beer? Depressed by Gen Z coffee discos and non-drinking? If zero alcohol is the new normal embrace it! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Zero alcohol drinks need no liquor licence, so why not start from zero and work your way up? Every major beer brand has a low- or zero-alcohol beer