Dang Wen Li by Dominique Ansel to shut HK ops by end of month

Local bakery Dang Wen Li by Dominique Ansel will shut its operations in Hong Kong by 31 January, including its flagship store at H Queen's in Central and boutique store at Admiralty's Pacific Place.  

Possible reasons that led to the closure of the bakehouse include a severe shortage of manpower, high rent and food prices, and a harsh business environment after the pandemic, Dang Wen Li's executive director Tammy Wu told multiple local reports such as HKEJ.  

Meanwhile, Lady M, another cake brand represented by Wu, is not impacted, said HKEJ.  

Introduced in Hong Kong nearly five years ago by its founder Dominique Ansel, the bakehouse gained popularity for its Hong Kong-inspired pastries and cakes. From Cookie Shots that look like Yakult bottles to hot chestnut madeleines, Pineapple Bun mousse cakes, and peanut mochi chaussons, it has created pastries that celebrate the uniqueness of Hong Kong. 
 
“The time has come for us to bid farewell (at least for now), with the hopes that we will all meet again soon. We are proud and honoured to have had an opportunity to welcome you and share what we do here in Hong Kong through some difficult times, and supporting it through spreading simple joy in pastries,” said its official statement on Instagram.  

The company also advised customers with Dang Wen Li vouchers to visit its stores by the end of the month to redeem them.  

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Dang Wen Li for more information. 

Dang Wen Li is not the first bakery brand which announced its sudden closure in recent years. Back in September 2022, local bakery chain Crostini suddenly halted operations for all of its retail stores on 13 September. This has led to some consumers reportedly requesting refunds of prepaid cake coupons. 

Don't miss: Crostini faces heat upon ceasing operations of all retail stores

According to its Facebook post on 13 September 2022, Crostini said due to the harsh business environment during the pandemic, the company had to make the decision to cease operations for all of its retail outlets as of 13 September. It also said it had “tried in vain to turn the tide”.

Wong Kwong Fai, the founder of Crostini told local press that landlords had started to chase him for payment after the government’s rent deferral mechanism, which allows local businesses to delay rental payments for up to three months. He added that he had taken loans to repay the salaries of staff and the company was looking for new investors but the lack of cash flow made it difficult to pay rents for physical stores.

Don's miss: HK authorities arrests Crostini director after sudden halt of retail stores

Wong was then arrested by the Hong Kong Customs on suspicion of engaging in wrongful acceptance of payment in the sale of cake coupons or gift vouchers, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO). 

Photo courtesy: Dang Wen Li's Instagram

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