Hongkong Land chief retail officer Alexander Li on the US$1 billion project that is expected to be the crown jewel of Hong Kong’s retail landscape
Alexander Li, the chief retail officer at Hongkong Land, spearheads a transformative US$1 billion project in Hong Kong. Leading the Tomorrow’s Central initiative, he aims to elevate the city’s luxury retail landscape. Drawing parallels between his leadership role and Ironman competitions, Li walks us through his vision for Central, and Hongkong Land’s confidence in Hong Kong as a global luxury destination.
Describe your role and responsibilities as the chief retail officer, Hong Kong and Macau, at Hongkong Land.
I look after Hongkong Land’s retail portfolio in Hong Kong and Macau, including the Central Landmark and One Central Macau.
What are some of the key opportunities and challenges you’ve faced since joining Hongkong Land?
Without a doubt, the biggest and most exciting opportunity has been working on the launch of Tomorrow’s Central, a US$1 billion investment into our Central retail portfolio by Hongkong Land and our retail tenants. As a proud born-and-bred Hongkonger, I truly believe that Central and Landmark have been and will continue to be pivotal to the fabric of Hong Kong, particularly on an international stage. This investment underscores Hongkong Land and international brands’ unwavering confidence in Hong Kong’s bright future as a premier luxury lifestyle destination. That same opportunity has also presented many challenges. Because of Landmark’s long and rich heritage, many of our stakeholders—colleagues, tenants, shoppers—have a personal connection to this place. That means they all have strong and passionate views on any changes, and so implementing this kind of transformational change has been a very fine balancing act.
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Alexander Li (Photography: Ivan Wong/Tatler Hong Kong)
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Can you provide an overview of the transformation project and what inspired this initiative?
At its core, Tomorrow’s Central is an embodiment of Hong Kong’s enduring spirit. It speaks to the city’s resilience, unwavering pursuit of excellence and remarkable ability to adapt, evolve and achieve the extraordinary. I believe Hongkong Land is uniquely placed to shape the future of Central and Hong Kong through this transformation. The key changes include: the introduction of 10 world-class, two-to-eight-storey maison destinations [new landmarks for these luxury brands], while a further 100+ retail boutiques will also be renovated. There will also be an “only in Hong Kong” jewellery and watch boulevard, and a carefully curated universe for beauty for the Central community. Meanwhile, we have already launched the first Sotheby’s maison at Landmark Chater—an immersive art and culture experience that has already redefined the boundaries of experiential luxury. Together we will house a diversified retail portfolio of more than 200 tenants. Landmark plans to reinforce its gastronomic portfolio too, presenting more than 30 new concepts and an array of over 100 distinctive F&B offerings. Our vision for Landmark will future-proof our Central portfolio as a best-in-class luxury, lifestyle and office destination.
What are some of the most exciting new features and experiences that visitors can expect from the transformed Landmark?
Our anchor tenants, 10 of the world’s most prestigious brands, will introduce globally unique concepts, which will be specially tailored to the Landmark and Central client base. The maison destinations we are creating for them will be among some of the largest stores these brands have anywhere in the world. These new canvases will provide our partners unparalleled flexibility to fully realise their most ambitious and creative visions. We see the potential for highly exclusive experiences such as haute couture ateliers, private dining concepts, bespoke concierge services and double-height salons for their very important customers. Notably, four brands will have the opportunity to debut al fresco terraces, allowing their valued clientele to enjoy a glass of champagne while taking in the beauty and buzz of Tomorrow’s Central.
I am particularly excited about our VIPs experiencing the changes in our recognition programme, Bespoke. In Hong Kong, we are crafting more private spaces and offering personalised services exclusively for them. At the same time, we are expanding the international privileges, knowing that our VIPs are passionate about travel. We are incredibly lucky to have this community and our goal is for them to benchmark every experience they have globally against the standard they enjoy at Landmark.
