Decanter.com's recent story titled "Christie's closes South Kensington wine department" was mistitled. It should have been headlined "Christie's new wine strategy will focus on Asia." Among other points made in the article:
- Hong Kong remains a profit center and is sustaining the economic crisis better than elsewhere (based on recent auction results)
- More staff will be recruited to the wine department in Hong Kong
Christie's is making a smart move. While even Hong Kong is not immune to the global slowdown, our Hong Kong office quietly launched on November 1 and we can attest that fine wine sales have been growing nicely. Customers currently buy from our U.S. inventory, either online at our U.S. site or by speaking with or visiting Mabel Ho, Executive Wine Specialist (call (852) 3748-3834 for assistance). Our Hong Kong wine storage facility is proceeding (after some delays) but plans are in place to launch it within the next couple of months. Please see the Vinfolio Hong Kong website (www.vinfolio.hk) for more information.
P.S. The closing of Christie's South Kensington location after 30 years was long overdue. The South Kensington auctions served as an outlet for a "grab bag" of merely average wines not worthy of being sold by a reputable firm such as Christie's. Closing it will remove this blemish on their highly regarded brand.
