View source for Wellcome

{{Short description|Hong Kong supermarket chain}}
{{distinguish|Wellcome Trust|Welcome}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Wellcome
| logo = WellcomeLogo2021.png
| native_name = 惠康
| type = Supermarket
| genre = 
| foundation = {{start date and age|1945}}
| founder = 
| location_city = Hong Kong
| location_country = 
| location = 
| locations = 280 (Hong Kong)
| area_served = Hong Kong
| key_people = 
| industry = Retailing
| products = 
| services = 
| market cap = 
| revenue = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| aum = 
| assets = 
| equity = 
| owner = 
| num_employees = 
| parent = [[DFI Retail Group]]
| divisions = 
| subsid = 
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.wellcome.com.hk/en/about-wellcome|wellcome.com.hk}}
| footnotes = 
| intl = 
}}
[[File:Chun Shek Estate Wellcome 202107.jpg|thumb|An outlet in [[Chun Shek Estate]] with the 2021 branding]]
[[File:Wellcome Supermarket.svg|thumb|Logo until 2021]]
[[File:Wellcome Gateway.JPG|thumb|An outlet in [[Tsim Sha Tsui]]]]
'''Wellcome''' ({{lang-zh|first=j|c=惠康|j=wai6 hong1|p=Huìkāng}}) is a supermarket chain owned by British [[Conglomerate (company)|conglomerate]] [[Jardine Matheson Holdings]] via its [[DFI Retail Group]] subsidiary. The Wellcome supermarket chain is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong, the other being [[ParknShop]].

DFI formerly operated supermarkets in the Philippines and Taiwan ({{lang-zh|c=頂好|p=Dǐnghǎo}}) under the Wellcome name, and has various other supermarkets around Asia including [[Market Place (supermarket)|Market Place]], [[Cold Storage (supermarket)|Cold Storage]], [[Hero (supermarket)|Hero]] and [[Giant (hypermarket)|Giant]].<ref>[http://www.dairyfarmgroup.com/en-US/Our-Businesses/Supermarkets-and-Hypermarkets#bid-Market-Place "Supermarkets and Hypermarkets."] [[Dairy Farm International Holdings|Dairy Farm Group]]. Retrieved 2017-06-06.</ref>

==History==
[[File:Wellcome Supermarket in Taipei Beitou 2015.JPG|thumb|A former outlet in [[Taipei]]]]
[[File:Wellcome lagro quezon city.png|thumb|A former outlet in [[Quezon City]]]]
Founded in 1945, Wellcome is Hong Kong's longest-established supermarket chain. Since 1964, the company has been wholly owned by Dairy Farm International Holdings following the merger with rival supermarket [[Dairy Farm|Dairy Lane]]. Wellcome has an overall staff of 5,000 in more than 240 stores and serves more than 14 million customers every month.
Wellcome was established in 1945 by Mr. Wu Chung-Wai, Mr. Lau Lim and Mr. Ko Yin-Yu. Wellcome established its first store on Ice House Street in Central. The shop specialised in imported products including wines, biscuits, canned food and beverages. Wellcome was the first supermarket to establish a Home Delivery Service division, and an average of 600 customers enjoyed this one-of-a-kind service through orders in person daily. Wellcome was acquired by Dairy Farm(Now DFI Retail Group) in 1964. The company was the first to introduce a "self-service" retailing concept. Customers no longer require the assistance of service staff to get products; they have to select products from the shelf. Wellcome was the first to offer pre-packaged rice products in 1973. In the 1980s, Wellcome launched its first corporate brand "No Frills", offering customers over 300 products at the lowest prices as compared to other products in the same category. Later, Wellcome became the first supermarket to employ [[Electronic data interchange|Electronic data interchange (EDI)]] technology to improve the efficiency of operation. Wellcome expanded to Taiwan and acquired Ding Hao supermarket. Wellcome opened its first 24-hour store in Great George Street, Causeway Bay on 23 October 1998. Wellcome established its second corporate brand, First Choice, with a product range of over 1,000 items. With prices at 20–30% less than competitive international brands, it is a well-known brand in Hong Kong. A HK$400 million investment, "Wellcome Fresh Food Centre" was opened in 1998, occupying an area of 161,000 sq. ft. In the 1990s, Wellcome Hong Kong to become the first to use the UPC system in Hong Kong supermarkets, offers a more efficient and more convenient payment services. According to the report of 2004–2008, Wellcome supermarkets and thus increase the number of branches. Wellcome introduced the "Vote For Your Favourite Brand" campaign in 2000 and soon opened a superstore at Tuen Mun Town Plaza. The Wellcome superstore introduced a new "one-stop" shopping service, embracing the concepts of both wet market and grocery shop under one roof. Wellcome also began its double refund offer with lowest price guarantee by doubling the difference back to customers. Wellcome unveiled its Stanley store in January 2003. It is the first supermarket located inside a 100-year-old historical building – the old Stanley Police Station. In 2014, Wellcome Taiwan was found to have used contaminated ingredients in its mushroom and minced pork seasonings, drawing it into the [[2014 Taiwan food scandal]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hsu|first1=Stacy|title=More brands slide into investigation|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2014/09/08/2003599250|access-date=11 September 2014|work=Taipei Times|date=8 September 2014}}</ref> Wellcome Taiwan was acquired by [[Carrefour]] in 2020.<ref name="2020sale">{{cite news |last1=Shih-ching |first1=Kao |title=Carrefour snaps up Wellcome, Jasons |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2020/06/03/2003737495 |access-date=3 June 2020 |work=Taipei Times |date=3 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Yang |first1=Shu-ching |last2=Chiang |first2=Yi-ching |title=Carrefour to acquire Wellcome, Jasons Market Place in Taiwan |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202006020014 |access-date=3 June 2020 |agency=Central News Agency |date=2 June 2020}}</ref> While Wellcome Philippines locations were turned into Robinsons Easymart after [[Robinsons Retail]] purchased [[Rustan's|Rustan's Supercenters]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dumlao-Abadilla |first=Doris |date=2018-03-26 |title=Robinsons buys Rustan retail chain |url=https://business.inquirer.net/248260/robinsons-buys-rustan-retail-chain#:~:text=Rustan%20Supercenters%20operates%20food%20retail%20brands%20%E2%80%9CMarketplace,of%20London-listed%20Dairy%20Farm%20International%20Holdings%20Ltd.&text=But%20they%20are%20already%20there%20with%20Robinsons%20Select. |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=INQUIRER.net |language=en}}</ref><ref>Note: The Article citation was published in March 2018, Wellcome stores still exist when Rustan's was purchased by Robinsons Retail. There is a possibility that the Wellcome Stores in the Philippines were turned to Robinsons Easymart in late 2018, 2019 or 2020.</ref>

==Brands==

=== Private labels ===
Wellcome supermarkets sell products from DFI's Meadows and Yu Pin King private labels.<ref>[http://www.wellcome.com.hk/userfile/wd/html/en/pop_about.html Key Milestones of Wellcome] (accessed 18 October 2007)</ref><ref>[http://www.wellcome.com.hk/userfile/wd/html/en/FC_leaflet.pdf The First choice leftlet] (accessed 17 October 2007)</ref>

=== Wellcome Superstore ===
The first '''Wellcome Superstore''' was opened in 2000 and currently it has 31 superstores, spread across Hong Kong. They stock a greater variety of products, tailored to local demand.

=== Wellcome Fresh ===
The Wellcome Superstore in [[The Belcher's]] became '''Wellcome Fresh''' in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New supermarket concept offers an amazing array of fresh foods |url=https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/181686/New-supermarket-concept-offers-an-amazing-array-of-fresh-foods |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=The Standard|location=Hong Kong |language=en}}</ref>

=== Market Place ===
{{main|Market Place (supermarket)}}

DFI also operates supermarkets under the [[Market Place (supermarket)|Market Place]] (formerly Marketplace by Jasons and Jason's Food & Living), [[3hreeSixty]], Jasons ichiba and Oliver's The Delicatessen brands in Hong Kong.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Wellcome supermarkets}}
* [https://www.wellcome.com.hk/en Wellcome (Hong Kong)]

{{Dairy Farm Group}}
{{Supermarkets of Hong Kong}}
{{Supermarkets in Taiwan}}

[[Category:1945 establishments in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:DFI Retail Group]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Hong Kong brands]]
[[Category:Retail companies established in 1945]]
[[Category:Supermarkets of Hong Kong]]