Opatra London Suspends Hong Kong Operations Following Sales Tactic Investigation

The British headquarters and Hong Kong distributor of beauty product company Opatra London have suspended local operations after allegations of aggressive sales tactics triggered the arrest of local senior staff and a raid on a corporate secretarial office in Sheung Wan.

In a statement issued on Friday, Opatra London continued to distance itself from the local distributor, which it said owned and operated the local stores independently.

The office of the local company, Sayles Retail, was raided by customs officers on Tuesday, and they arrested its financial and administration managers under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance the following day.

“Opatra London confirms that, by mutual agreement with its local distributor, the Hong Kong distribution agreement has been suspended,” the company said.

“The Opatra-branded stores in Hong Kong are independently owned and operated by a local distributor.”

The London office said Hong Kong was an important market for the group and its commitment to the city’s customers remained unchanged.

“Opatra London HQ will cooperate fully with any inquiries from the relevant authorities and will not comment on matters that are the subject of an ongoing investigation,” it said.