Page 7 - Sphere No.14 (Jul 2005)

Huge Growth for 3
3 Group’s strategy of being a first mover in 3G is yielding solid
results. By the end of the first quarter, the customer bases of 3
Group and Hutchison Telecom’s 3G totalled over eight million.
Worldwide, 3 Group saw a huge increase in the scale of its
activities in 2004, with a 398% rise in turnover to HK$15,742
million, nearly five times the contribution for the seven months
of operation in 2003. LBITDA before expensed customer acqui-
sition costs (CAC) shrank by 37% and the Group is making
rapid progress towards achieving its target of breaking even
on EBITDA after expensed CAC before the end of 2005.
The future looks bright for 3 Group: customer numbers
are growing fast, value-added services are proving highly
popular and costs are being tightly controlled. Most
importantly, revenues for 3 customers remain
well above market average.
Food Fit
for a King
Harbour Plaza
Hong Kong
hosted the
Korean Palace
Food Festival in
association with
the highly
acclaimed Korean drama television series “Jewel in the Palace.”
Guests enjoyed dishes eaten by Korean monarchs down the years,
prepared in part by Ms Han Bok Ryo, the President and top Chef
from Korea’s Institute of Royal Palace Cuisine and consultant
to the show.
PLACE YOUR BETS
Life has just got better for
Hong Kong’s many horse-racing enthusiasts.
Now they can watch races on their mobile
phones and also place their bets –
thanks to 3 Hong Kong.
“Horse Racing Live”, the world’s
first live racing broadcast service
on 3G video mobile phones,
enables 3 customers to watch
real-time races and results.
And not just watch the racing. 3
also provides a 3G mobile betting
service. It’s very user-friendly. Once
customers have opened an account
with The Hong Kong Jockey Club, they
can bet on all races directly via their video
mobile phones. 3 customers can also place
bets on football matches and Mark Six.
3 Hong Kong is first past the post again!
H T
SAVE THE
ENVIRONMENT,
SAVE MONEY
PARKnSHOP launched a big environ-
mental protection initiative in May.
“Don’t Drown the Earth Campaign” gives
customers a cash incentive to use fewer
plastic bags when they shop.
New reusable “Green” foldable shopping bags in
three colours are available at PARKnSHOP stores for
just HK$6.90. Customers will get rebates on their
shopping, up to a full cash refund for the bag price.
And there are further savings. Users of the
PARKnSHOP bag will also receive double bonus stamps
for the “Lifestyle Rewards Marathon” programme,
offering many popular lifestyle items.
PARKnSHOP is already working hard for
the environment. It is raising funds for
Green Power by donating HK$1 for every
reusable bag sold and placing collection
boxes at all checkouts to encourage
customers to donate their loose change.
Other initiatives include the recycling of
all used cartons and paper, tree planting
schemes and training programmes for front-
line staff on energy saving measures.
H O N G K O N G
R
Newsbites
Going Green on Lamma
Hongkong Electric Company (HEC) has started work on the
construction of the first commercial-scale wind turbine in Hong
Kong. Sited at Tai Ling on Lamma Island, the 800–kW turbine
will produce 1 GWh of
electricity a year when it goes
into operation in 2006.
This project is an important
step towards the develop-
ment of renewable energy
sources in Hong Kong.
Concern for the environment
has been a major considera-
tion. Trees and scrub will be
planted to minimise the
impact on the landscape and
HEC is planning to use the site
as an educational facility for
wind power and other forms
of renewable energy. E T