Inside the prestigious Mandarin Oriental HotelOMEGA drops the starting flag on first Flagship Store in Macau
Leading international watch manufacture Omega has today launched its first ever Flagship Store in Macau inside the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Omega ambassadors Simon Yam and F3 race car driver Tung Ho Pin were on hand to rev up excitement for the launch, which was also attended by Mr Kevin Rollenhagen, Vice President of Omega China and Hong Kong.
In a tribute to Macau's historic motorsport tradition, the Flagship Store was launched with a roaring start at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where an Omega-branded Formula 3 race car, modelled after the one driven by Tung Ho Pin, was displayed outside the hotel's entrance. The car symbolized both Macau motorsports and Omega's sponsorship of its newest ambassador, Tung Ho Pin, who will be making his first ever start in the famed Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix 2004 (Nov. 18 - 21, 2004).
Tung Ho Pin is the first Chinese driver to have test driven for an F1 team, when he was invited to drive for the BMW Williams F1 team at Jerez in Spain. The drive was the reward for his walkover championship in the Formula BMW Asian Championship 2003. This year, Ho Pin has had a highly successful maiden F3 season competing in the German F3 Cup and finished 7th overall with two second places and two more podium finishes. He was named to Omega's family of prestigious international sports and entertainment ambassadors in July, 2004.
After a photo session with Simon, Tung Ho Pin and Kevin Rollenhagen beside the F3 car, a traditional Chinese eye dotting ceremony and lion dance were held to launch the store with an auspicious start. At the shop front, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held followed by a toasting ceremony with the officiating guests popping the cork on some celebratory champagne. Afterwards, Ho Pin and Simon Yam toured the shop with media from around Greater China and autographed images from their Omega advertising campaigns, which will become permanent fixtures inside the luxurious new store.
Mr Kevin Rollenhagen commented on the day saying, "We are delighted to launch our first ever Flagship Store in Macau. With the high potential of the Macau market and the store's location in one of the enclave's most prestigious shopping areas at the Mandarin Oriental, we are confident of its great success. I would also like to thank Simon Yam and Tung Ho-pin for their help with the launch and wish Ho Pin the greatest success in his first ever Macau Grand Prix."
The 80 sq. metre Flagship Store offers Macau's most comprehensive collection of Omega products and serves as the exclusive retailer for Omega's haute joaillerie line, Bijoux. The new store will also house Omega's world class customer service centre with Omega watchmakers permanently on-site. VIPs are catered to with an exclusive viewing area, while an Omega library and special selections from the Omega museum add to the exclusive and relaxed ambience.
OMEGA, with its continuous expansion plan in the China, Hong Kong and Macau, now has flagship stores in key cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Ningbo and Guangzhou.