Hong Kong customs officers have raided a corporate office in Sheung Wan as part of a probe into a local beauty chain linked to UK brand Opatra London.
The raid took place on Tuesday at the Wing On Centre on Connaught Road Central. Officers from the Customs and Excise Department seized documents from the office.
The office is listed as the registered main place of business for the beauty chain. But there was no sign of the brand at the site.
Instead, the office had signs for Ascentium, a corporate services firm. No beauty staff or business activity linked to the chain was found there.
Leung Ka-ho, a senior investigator with the Trade Descriptions Investigation Bureau, said officers found only a secretarial service at the address.
He said customs had received six complaints about the beauty chain. Most complaints came from middle-aged or older people.
The reported payments ranged from HK$1,800 to HK$100,000, or about US$12,745.
Leung said customs would continue to identify the people responsible for the business and staff involved in the sales. He said arrests could follow if there was enough evidence.
The beauty chain is suspected of using unfair sales methods to sell skincare products and beauty devices. Customs is looking into possible breaches of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
The law bans aggressive commercial practices. Such practices can include sales methods that put unfair pressure on consumers.
Leung also said four outlets linked to the beauty chain had stopped operating. The shops were in Sha Tin, Yuen Long and Causeway Bay.
The case drew public attention after a video appeared on social media last week. The video showed a woman crying and kneeling outside an Opatra London shop at New Town Plaza in Sha Tin.
The woman said she had been pressured into paying a large amount of money. She also claimed that the deal included HK$20,000 in interest.
The video led to wider concern about sales practices linked to the local business.
Opatra London responded on Monday. The UK brand said it deeply regretted any distress that customers may have faced in connection with its brand.
The company also said it had started an independent review of its local distributor, Sayles Retail.
Sayles Retail has rejected growing claims that it used deceptive sales methods.
The investigation has also brought attention to the role of corporate service providers. Ascentium’s website says it operates in 58 cities across 27 markets.
The company provides corporate, governance and secretarial services. Its Hong Kong office also offers escrow services to local listed companies.
Ascentium’s presence at the address does not by itself show that it was involved in the beauty chain’s sales practices.
Hong Kong’s Consumer Council has not received complaints about Opatra, according to its chief executive, Alaina Shum Jiu-fai.
However, the council received 309 complaints about sales practices at beauty shops from 2023 to August this year.
Shum urged consumers to stay calm when making purchases. She said people should think about their needs and ability to pay before agreeing to costly deals.
She also warned consumers not to give in to high-pressure sales tactics.
The customs investigation remains under way. Officers are seeking more information about the business, its staff and the complaints received.
Any enforcement action will depend on the evidence collected during the investigation. The case also highlights the risks consumers may face when buying expensive beauty products under strong sales pressure.
