AJ Halkes

Upstairs F&B – It can work in Hong Kong By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law For many people operating food and beverage premises upstairs in Hong Kong has been a no-go; and the focus has always been modern buildings if that was going to happen. However, with prices having fallen dramatically for all upstairs premises […]

When Stalled Negotiations – Stall Progress! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Walking through one of Hong Kong’s older neighborhoods, I stumbled upon a sight that’s all too familiar—an area where property development has ground to a halt. It seems that, once again, negotiations to expand development across multiple sites may have hit a wall.

Living in a textured Hong Kong is everything — it’s worth valuing and preserving. By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Much of the city’s innate vibrancy has been pushed aside by relentless development. Yet, in the older districts, you still stumble upon scenes that remain virtually unchanged for decades. I was struck recently by the

Reimagining Hong Kong’s Streets By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Let’s have more fixed-pitch and itinerant hawker licenses — surely, we can do better moving forward. What if we embraced a bold, dynamic policy to revive our streets, making them more textured, lively and more entrepreneurial : like they used to be? Hong Kong has

Is “Light Refreshment” now a viable low cost food business to build in Hong Kong? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law New approaches mean a wider range of foods can now be offered in Hong Kong to unlock revenue Quietly the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in Hong Kong streamlined the scope of what activities

Pandemic over yet sales are worse for some Hong Kong Food & Beverage outlets than they were during it : why ? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Some Hong Kong operators are seeing sales below those during the Covid period; when Hong Kong was almost totally isolated from the world. Despite this reopening of

Improving Restaurant Licensing : A Call for Collaborative Solutions not penalties. By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Having played a pivotal role in creating the Provisional Restaurant Licensing system in Hong Kong, we aimed at streamlining the lengthy process of obtaining food (and beverage) licenses; I’d have hoped decades later it would be smooth sailing

Hong Kong having a Northern Metropolis is long overdue By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Hong Kong has lagged behind in regional integration for too long – it’s time to catch up. My journey with Hong Kong began in the 1970s, working in Sha Tau Kok, experiencing the daily tensions and joys of the border.

Hong Kong is exporting social media content via heritage images : is street art next and will it help food & beverage business? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Tai Kwun Jockey Club renovation heritage “selfie Central” Hong Kong With serious heritage having been preserved at the Tai Kwun complex in central Hong Kong, and

Time to buy property in Hong Kong for F&B… or Not? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law I consistently hear that it’s impossible to buy commercial property in Hong Kong on the part of retailers or food and beverage operators; so they are stuck as renters for ever. They claim prices are too high and

Is Hong Kong’s Watson’s making an Eco-Friendly Move with new reduced packaging or is it still a just a plastic bottle? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Well done to Watson’s Water in Hong Kong if it is taking a tiny step toward sustainability with a change to their iconic Freeman LAU designed water bottle

Fed up with landlords? Renting like Pure Fitness, does it make sense to rent anymore? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Just a few days ago, news emerged that a shop in Yau Ma Tei was sold, with the buyer possibly being the end user. Even if not confirmed it raises an important question: In

Hong Kong may soon lift import duties on spirits! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law “my girl” – AJ Halkes 1977 With Christie’s high-profile expansion at The Henderson in Central, joining the ranks of Sotheby’s Asia Flagship (Sotheby’s Maison in core central) and Phillips (West Kowloon Cultural District), it’s clear the global art powerhouses see

Is the Hong Kong Government changing tack on Industrial Accidents? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Recent Hong Kong government moves in relation to a tragic workplace accident at a Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) property have seen a swift, yet seemingly unusual Police response to what at first glance looks like an industrial accident.

The Art of Dining… or Should I Say, Dining for the Art? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Food and beverage spaces have evolved — today, it’s about food styling and photo ops not just eating and drinking! I’ve been fascinated to hear from clients about customers who come in less to taste and more

The O’Sullivan Factor: Shining a Light on Hong Kong’s Appeal : as a place to call home By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Seven-time world snooker champion, Ronnie O’Sullivan, has recently landed in Hong Kong under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme — a move that underscores the advantages Hong Kong offers to international sports figures

Hong Kong has an open real-estate market again… finally! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Property offerings have sold out swiftly following lifting of residential property cooling measures : as Mr Paul Chan Mo-Po said: “The economy is recovering now… no matter if it is corporations or residents, they need to strengthen their fundamentals and

Do Hong Kong Food Safety laws have a bean curd loophole or is the Liu Ma Kee case a compliance issue? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Recently a local seller (Liu Ma Kee : established over a century ago and apparently now suddenly shut) was in the news for importing fermented bean curd. This

Can Coffee and Cake save the Hong Kong F&B Industry ? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Good Day Coffee Co – G/F #23A Shing Mun New Village Kam Tin is making more than coffee Every day the new coffee shop springs up, but as soon as that has happened, another one closes down. The

Transforming Hong Kong’s Food & Beverage Industry with an easy access Outdoor Seating system. By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Imagine a bustling city where it’s easy to operate outdoor seating to breathe new life into the food and beverage industry, providing a much-needed boost to businesses. Hong Kong’s outdoor seating accommodation (OSA) provisions saw

Hong Kong may soon lift import duties on spirits! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Recent reports suggest Hong Kong may soon lift import duties on spirits, just as it did for wine in 2008, a small shot in the arm for struggling F&B and retail hopefully. In the UK “drink up fast and go

Retail turnover rent in Hong Kong for stability and mutual benefit By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Faced with an on-going bumpy COVID recovery for the F&B industry and on-going retail uncertainly in Hong Kong “turnover rent” with minimal base rent is the ideal way to create a win-win for landlords and business operators alike

If you have knowledge to sell yet buyers are scarce what do you do with it? This was the case for many during Covid as businesses suffered, budgets crumbled, bank accounts drained and specialist advisors to what were now failing or closed businesses found themselves out of work. In some countries there was financial support

Should Hong Kong have mandatory training and certification before people are allowed to go to work? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Yet another workplace injury took place in Yau Mai Tei on Saturday, November 11th, that has again brought into focus construction site safety issues.  The process for selection of riggers involved in dealing

Why can’t Hong Kong embrace e-bikes right now for a cleaner, more efficient city? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law I’ve just got back from racing in Niseko and know that pure pedal power isn’t the only way to cover distances and the way Japan has used the e-bike for many years is truly impressive.

Nothing to whine about By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Hong Kong has been putting itself on the world map for wine since the government removed taxes in 2008 creating a free port but this has not always translated to cheaper high quality wines in restaurants and at retail wine still isn’t that cheap. Some

Hong Kong is back! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law When it comes to boosting of Hong Kong this seems all too rare these days in the media, and it should not that way, issue number 2, 2024 of MONOCLE certainly will help re-set things. It was great to see an internationally distributed magazine showcase

Tips for a Smooth Mainland Travel Permit Application to China for Hong Kong Permanent Residents. By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Recently, I applied for a travel permit to Mainland China and discovered a few tips that might make your experience smoother: 1. Have Your Access to Information Letter Ready: Ensure you have the original

Is Commercial Real Estate in Hong Kong Truly Unaffordable? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law People in Hong Kong consistently claim you can’t buy a decent business premises so they are held hostage by greedy landlords; yet perhaps they are slightly out of touch. Monitoring the market and understanding trends can be tough, especially for

Is the chance to acquire the iconic property used by Insomnia in the heart of Hong Kong a hidden gem or a poisoned chalice? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law This question takes me back to a deal I was involved in. The buyer was told by a middleman that the vendor’s asking price was