COVER STORY

cover story SURVIVE

Not even Covid-19 can stop these Southside businesses, as Nicole Slater finds out Photography by Graham Uden

survive & thrive THRIVE

With social gatherings limited to four people and public facilities including gyms, spas and pools closed since the end of March, there is no doubt that Hong Kong’s local businesses have been severely affected by the impact of Covid-19. This month, we caught up with seven Southside businesses to find out how they are adapting to keep Southsiders happy and safe during these unprecedented times.

Heather Shalabi

Director of Flex Studio Covid-19 silver lining: That when we pull through this - and we WILL - we’ll all appreciate one another more, be kinder, more generous and more compassionate.

Heather opened the first Flex Studio in Stanley over 15 years ago. It was the very first boutique fitness studio of its kind and became known as Hong Kong’s home of Classical Pilates. Flex now operates two successful branches in Central and Wong Chuk Hang and employs a team of dedicated teachers offering classes in Pilates, yoga and Xtend Barre. flexhk.com

How are you helping your clients during this time?

During these endless days spent working from home, maintaining a regular exercise schedule helps achieve a sense of purpose and organisation. We offer our clients online programmes, equipment loans and free delivery of props to enhance home workouts (yoga mats, therabands, balls, magic circles, hand weights) to help them avoid falling into a “slump”.

How has the Covid-19 outbreak affected your business?

I’d be lying if I said we hadn’t been hard hit by the virus. The effect has been devastating for the fitness industry as we’ve been forced to close. We had to adapt quickly, digitising services using Zoom, and integrating with our MindBody online platform. An upside of the online classes has been attracting previous clients who are no longer in Hong Kong! We’ll definitely keep LIVE STREAM classes running well after we physically re-open.

What can the government do to help local businesses more during this time?

Businesses have been crippled, and it’s imperative that Hong Kong retains its interesting panoply of small and medium sized businesses. Without government support, we’ll all be forced to close leaving only the large, deeppocketed behemoth businesses in operation. Hong Kong deserves better than that!

Flex Studio is offering Southside readers an additional free class with every digital package booked throughout May.

Inès De Beer

Director at The Round Clinic Covid-19 silver lining: More quality time with my family. Simple things such as sharing meals together and playing board games have become very precious.

Founded five years ago, The Round Clinic is a one-stopwellness center for all paramedical services. Their Wong Chuk Hang centre provides Southside residents with a convenient location to seek treatment, advice and services such as osteopathy, physiotherapy, acupuncture, HOMEOPATHY and cranial-sacral therapy. theroundclinic.com

Have you noticed any changes in your clients habits since Covid-19?

Generally in times of crisis, people tend to need assistance regarding their physical and mental health. Because of school closures and home offices, patients have been more flexible during office hours to come in for treatments with some even mentioning they welcome the break from working at home!

How have you adapted your business strategy?

We launched TeleHealth last month, an online treatment service for patients who physically can’t come to the clinic. In addition, we work non-stop to keep people informed about their health with regular newsletters covering various health topics related to the outbreak.

How do you stay passionate about what you do?

I feel I have a responsibility as a health practitioner to assist people in difficult times. We are making a difference to numerous patients who show us gratitude in return, and this is as a therapist, very empowering.

Jean-Paul Gauci

Owner of Cococabana & CoCoNuts Covid-19 silver lining: The situation is bringing us closer to our clients and in particular, our neighbours.

A great lover of sea and sunshine, Jean-Paul has mastered the art of beachside dining. He currently operates two restaurants in Southside, opening his first Cococabana over 20 years ago. This much-loved Hong Kong institution located in Shek O has stood the test of time due to its solid reputation for consistently delicious Mediterranean food. Following destruction brought about by Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, Jean-Paul’s second restaurant CoCoNuts underwent renovation and a move just a short walk along Deep Water Bay beach, reopening last summer. Facebook:

Cococabanahk

How do you stay passionate about what you do?

Luckily for me, I’m always motivated about working in the F&B industry! There’s always something to do and goals to achieve. We tend to keep ourselves away from “anti-social” media and focus on keeping our guests happy! minimal compared to Covid-19, although there were days when it was practical for clients to stay home and we also had to consider the safety of our employees. We’ve become quite active on the takeaway side and have also gotten to know our local market and their needs a lot better, this has encouraged us to be more creative and versatile with our menu.

How are diners finding the new experience?

Apart from the legislation rules, which most guests seem comfortable with, we have also arranged for the sun to shine! Having less tables allows us to give more time and attention to our guests - we make sure that they are extra happy and comfortable!

Shek O and Big Wave Bay residents can enjoy a Cococabana set dinner for four with a free bottle of house wine from Monday to Friday. While, residents in the Deep Water Bay area can enjoy a 10% discount when ordering takeaway Monday to Friday, when they pick up from CoCoNuts.

Iva Liu

Assistant General Manager at The Coffee Academïcs Covid-19 silver lining: Last year, we had plans to develop a Web App to enhance online interaction with our customers. Now, we finally get the time to do it!

Hong Kong-born coffeehouse, The Coffee Academïcs, began their journey in 2012 and have since been expanding worldwide across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Their oceanfront cafe in Repulse Bay offers a tranquil atmosphere where customers can escape the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong citylife. the-coffeeacademics.com

How are you overcoming restrictions put in place due to Covid-19?

We are trying new digital ways of doing business, like setting up our e-commerce shop and partnering with HKTV Mall. The new social distancing policies put in place by the government have meant that our retail occupancy has dropped by half. But this has been a great opportunity for us to move our operations online for greater flexibility.

What motivates you to keep going and stay passionate?

We are using this time to reeducate ourselves on our beloved product by hosting Specialty Coffee Association classes with our staff members and continuing to source new beans directly from farmers and auctions around the world. We are putting the focus back on why we started our business, so we can continue to innovate and grow in new trajectories.

What can the government do to help local businesses more during this time?

Local businesses are doing their best to retain staff and ensure that people’s livelihoods are impacted as little as possible. We have received the first emergency funding for a few shops but it is only enough to tie us through for a month. We would appreciate more support for our employees, subsidising part of their salary as well as help negotiating lower rents from our landlords. Everyone should be in this together.

To support the local community, The Coffee Academïcs is offering a discount of 10% for customers who have shopped at another store in the area. Simply show your receipt from a store in Repulse Bay to enjoy the offer.

Louis Pong

Founder and Chairman of Lifestyle Federation Covid-19 silver lining: With less traffic congestion and queuing, I can spend more time working on creating good food at home and at work!

Lifestyle Federation was founded by Louis Pong, who spent his childhood years growing up in the Southside area. Lifestyle Federation is a hospitality and F&B group involved with major hotels, resorts and F&B development projects across Asia. The company serves Southside neighbourhood outlets including CFK and CFK Express, plus a gourmet studio and Central kitchen that caters for upcoming virtual restaurant concepts and gourmet home deliveries. lifestylefederation.com

How have you adapted your business strategy throughout the last few months?

Although various issues and pandemic in Hong Kong meant people staying home more, this hasn’t impacted their passion for gourmet food. We are using this time to re-think, re-group and re-strategise. We are investing in our digital platforms more than ever, these platforms will allow our customers to order fully cooked, semi-cooked and raw ingredients straight to their door.

How do you stay passionate about what you do?

My passion for good food helps! I love searching for and buying good ingredients, when I was younger I would personally pick out seafood from the Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market. I love rolling up my sleeves, making dishes and working with my chefs to develop new concepts.

How are you working to keep your customers safe and happy?

Our restaurants are not only adhering to Hong Kong government’s regulations but also focusing on hygiene, cleaning and sanitising more than ever. We are also selectively working with suppliers and vendors that share the same hygiene standards as us.

Smita More

Ayurvedic Consultant, Yoga Practitioner and Energy healer Covid-19 silver lining: It’s a wake up call for people to eat healthily, exercise regularly and take time for themselves.

Smita started on her healing journey eight years ago with the aim of reducing human suffering. Since then she has helped cure many of her client’s health problems through time tested energy healing and other natural methods. By scanning her clients, Smita can pinpoint the root cause of the problem and start to heal their internal organs using natural medicines and rejuvenation exercises. Smita has been in Hong Kong for 25 years and works from her home in Pok Fu Lam.

smitamore.com

How has the Covid-19 outbreak affected your business?

I’m blessed to always work from home, even before the virus I conducted many of my consultations via video with clients worldwide. Since people are on lockdown at home, my workload has increased, with many people looking for healing advice and immunity boosting remedies.

How can Ayurveda help people during this time?

Ayurveda has hundreds of home remedies which you can make from food spices and easily available herbs. I have cured people just by suggesting simple diet changes and introducing them to immunity boosting spices, including turmeric, pepper, honey and ashwagandha bharmai. I believe these remedies can really help people during this time.

What can the government do to promote alternative health care?

Personally I feel that alternative and holistic health care is needed in today’s society. If it’s incorporated from a young age, it can promote healthy eating and exercise habits in children. The government should promote more health care workers like myself and others across Hong Kong.

Maël Vastine

Chief Operating Officer at Classified Group Covid-19 silver lining: We’re all in this together and we will come back stronger survive & thrive

Classified launched its cafe concept in 2006 with the intention to revive neighbourhood sociability. They selected locations carefully, opening in neighbourhoods such as Repulse Bay, Happy Valley and Stanley. The chain serves fresh brewed coffee, modern comfort food and boutique wines. The Repulse Bay location is popular amongst Southsiders for its relaxed vibe, beachside setting and Instagramable swinging chairs.

classifiedfood.com

How has the Covid-19 outbreak affected your business?

These are challenging and unprecedented times for Hong Kong and globally, especially for the F&B industry. It has certainly made an impact on the way people dine out and consume. We have had to think outside of the box for unique and interesting ways to serve our customers.

How are you working to keep your customers safe and happy?

To ensure the health and safety of our customers and staff, we have implemented measures within our restaurants to provide a clean and safe environment. We cannot express enough gratitude to our passionate teams for their hard work in keeping our customers safe, and our community for their continued support during these difficult times.

Classified has recently launched a special Rosé promotion exclusive to Classified Repulse Bay and Stanley, which Southsiders can enjoy on the weekends.