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Tanyutou, a popular spicy hot pot restaurant chain based in the Mainland's Sichuan Province, opened its first restaurant in Hong Kong today (July 19).

The acting Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Mr John Rutherford, officiated at the opening of the Tanyutou Hot Pot Restaurant in Wanchai.

Tanyutou has great confidence in the market potential in Hong Kong. The new restaurant represents an investment of more than HK$15 million, employing over 70 local staff.

The Chairman of Chengdu Tanyutou Investment Co Ltd, Mr Tan Changan, said: "We plan to expand our business and our brand overseas, and introduce top quality Chinese cuisine to the rest of the world. Hong Kong, as an international city, is a strategic base for Tanyutou to go international."

Mr Tan said Tanyutou has chosen Hong Kong as the location for its overseas market operation headquarters to launch into the South East Asia, Europe and USA markets.

"We hope that this new investment will pave the way for other brands from the Mainland to enter the Hong Kong market. We are very optimistic about the future development of Hong Kong. We envisage that Tanyutou will become a role model for other Mainland companies to expand to Hong Kong," added Mr Tan.

Mr Rutherford welcomed Tanyutou's investment into Hong Kong, as a further sign that the hospitality industry was returning to normal after the containment of the SARS epidemic.

"Tanyutou's expansion to our city is yet another excellent example of Mainland companies using Hong Kong as a stepping stone into the international market," Mr Rutherford said.

"Our multicultural make-up provides a very sophisticated consumer base which has high expectations in terms of quality of food and services. We see an increasing demand for regional Chinese cuisine from both local residents and international tourists. The Sichuan-style spicy hot pot will add variety to the food and restaurant scene here. This clearly enhances our position as the region's gourmet paradise."

"We wish Tanyutou every success with their expansion plans in both Hong Kong and overseas," added Mr Rutherford.

Tanyutou is a leading restaurant chain in the Mainland. With 96 restaurants in the Mainland and two in Taiwan, Tanyutou's outlet in Hong Kong is the 99th of its kind.

Invest Hong Kong is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government department charged with attracting and assisting large and small foreign-owned and Mainland companies to set up here.

End/Saturday, July 19, 2003

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