Geekay Export & Import Company Limited was established by Kundan K Lalchandani in 1950. Over the years, the company flourished and has grown into a leading toy company exporting products under its own brand name, Zinoki. The company now acts as a buying office for major department stores supplying merchandise manufactured under customers' private labels.

In its early years, the company's main line of business was in textiles, finished garments, electronics and sundries, which it exported primarily to Australia and Africa. Besides branching into the toy business, Geekay now also exports household products, hats, caps and sundries to Canada, USA, South America, South Africa, Europe and Australia.

The original company was a metal stamping factory founded in 1922 in Swatow, Guangdong, China, as the Chiap Hua Manufactory. In 1937, a branch factory was set up in Hong Kong and following a brief halt in operations during the occupation of Hong Kong a new company was incorporated in 1947 to undertake ship-breaking and deep sea salvage operations for the Hong Kong Government.

Nanyang Cotton Mill Ltd is a manufacturer of textiles and fabrics (cotton & denim), yarns, threads, and fibres and is also involved in real estate and investment holding activities.

Founded in 1878, the SGS Group is the world's largest verification, testing and certification organisation. SGS group has been the pioneer in the quality assurance industry since it was founded in Rouen, France, to control grain shipment in 1878. After 41 years, the company moved its headquarters to Geneva and Socie«te« Ge«ne«rale de Suveillance SA became a holding company in 1975. To keep pace with the trend of electronic business, SGS Group entered the e-commerce world in 1999.

SGS Hong Kong Ltd was established in 1959. Accredited by HOKLAS in 1987, SGS Hong Kong Ltd was approved to conduct laboratory testing for textiles and garments, food, environmental, toys and children's products. In 1992, SGS Hong Kong Ltd. established its International Certification Services (ICS) Division to further develop certification services, and six years later was accredited by CNACR in China. To cope with its expansion, the company moved to a more spacious office in Siu Lek Yuen in December 1998.

Throughout its 75-year history, Unilever Hong Kong has seen many changes within its own organisation and in Hong Kong society as a whole. Against a political and economic background of both turmoil and triumph, Unilever has worked alongside Hong Kong to help create the vibrant economy it enjoys today.

In 1925, Lever Brothers (China) Ltd set up its first Hong Kong office as a depot of Unilever's China Soap Company. Then, in the '50s, Unilever began to focus on the local market with the launch of its first detergent products, Breeze and Surf. It was also around this time that the company employed its own Hong Kong sales force to replace trading through its agent. An influx of immigrants to Hong Kong from China in the '60s pushed up demand for soaps, and led to Unilever developing its personal wash range of Lux and Pears.

With the boom years of the '80s, Unilever continued to build upon its then substantial personal wash and detergent operations with the launch of Dove and Jif. In 1987, Unilever's third category, personal care, made its mark in Hong Kong with the integration of the Chesebrough-Ponds operation, bringing greater focus to Unilever's global brand names, Pond's Vaseline and Pears.

In 1990, Unilever entered the beverage business when it took back the distribution of Lipton and integrated its Rickshaw brand in 1993. It was also in that year that the company was renamed to Unilever Hong Kong, reporting to Unilever China. With the rising living standards in the Mainland, the company broadened its personal product range with the acquisition of Hazeline in 1996 and Helene Curtis in 1998.

Wah Hing Trading Co specialises in a number of product lines which it exports to the world's major markets.

Year joined, 1951

In order to improve the overall competitiveness and optimise the internal resource use, China Resources decided in the year 2000 to restructure the business as oriented to distribution, property, technology, strategic investment. The listed companies under CRC leadership engaged in the above-mentioned business. Now, CRC has over 300 subsidiaries, with approximately 50,000 employees. Its total assets have grown to HK$560 billion, and its annual turn over amounts to HK$292 billion.

Founded in 1949, CDHL is one of Asia's leading manufacturers in the woven fabric, dyeing and printing business. With the commissioning of a new production facility in Yuen Long in 1992, CDHL has continued to invest in technology and R&D to bolster quality and productivity.

Menash International, an import & export company established in 1988, was set up as a subsidiary trading partner for its 36-year-old parent company M Nathurmal Brothers (HK) Ltd. M Nathurmal Brothers began in 1952 as a partnership between brothers Mangharam B. Hemnani and Nathurmal B. Hemnani. They set up in two offices, with the elder Nathurmal heading their Japan office, and younger Mangharam building a base in Hong Kong. In 1972 a limited company was formed in Hong Kong, M Nathurmal Bros. (HK) Ltd, and by 1977 Mangharam Hemnani's son Ashok M. Hemnani took over the reigns of the company.

Through its subsidiary company, H M Ashok was able to explore new markets and product lines with a fresh brand. Today Menash International operates independently under the partnership of Sunil A. Hemnani & Anil A. Hemnani.

Shroff & Co was established in Hong Kong in 1950 by S J Shroff, who was later joined by his brother H J Shroff. The firm's main line of business was initially buying silk from China to sell locally and to Macau. After a few years, the company started trading in various other fabrics and textiles, and expanded its markets to include re-exported to Middle Eastern countries

In the late 1950s, the company developed a garment manufacturing business in men's and children's wear. In the early '60s, the company expanded into the sundry business, including householdware, which later grew to account for 50 per cent of the company's turnover.