Dickson Watch & Jewellery

DICKSON Poon makes millions selling style to the well-heeled in emporiums like Harvey Nichols, his oh-so-posh London store where Princess Diana used to prowls the racks of Dries Van Noten and Vivienne Westwood. This is odd for a guy who owns branches of Seibu, the trendy Japanese department store for wealthy Chinese, not to mention someone who hopes to buy Barneys, ground zero for America's avant-garde. Dickson Poon, head of Dickson Concepts, sells a roster of luxury brands such as Hermes, Bulgari and Escada.

Dickson Poon started out in Hong Kong in 1980 with one watch store. Today Dickson Concepts operates more than 240 boutiques and outlets throughout Southeast Asia and in China. He markets merchandise from Ralph Lauren, the best-selling designer in the world, and has secured the rights to more than 100 other brands. Since the company went public in 1986, turnover has grown 1,500%. Dickson Concepts' share price has nearly tripled since July 1995, from HK$10 to nearly HK$30 last week. Profits have climbed 19% since 1995 to $51 million on sales of $509.7 million. Poon stopped taking a salary in 1995. His official $1,288 annual director's fee can't even buy him a suit from Ralph Lauren's Purple Label collection. But Dickson Poon owns the majority of the company's shares, and last year earned nearly $15 million in dividends alone. He is worth more than half a billion dollars. You don't have to be a trendsetter to be successful in retailing. But unless you are, you'll never be considered more than an operator in a world full of supposed visionaries. And that seems just fine with Poon.

Dickson Watch & Jewellery
100 Beach Road
#23-13
Shaw Towers
Singapore 189702

Dickson stores in Singapore: Paragon; Wisma Atria; Centrepoint; Suntec City;

Updated On: 15.02.10