Hong Kong customs officers have arrested two staff members from local branches of the skincare chain Opatra London over alleged coercive sales tactics.
The Customs and Excise Department said in a media briefing on Wednesday that they arrested a 25-year-old woman, Opatra London Hong Kong’s administrative manager, and a 42-year-old man who served as finance manager for the brand’s Hong Kong operations.
Senior Investigator Leung Ka-ho said during the briefing that Opatra London’s Hong Kong locations are suspected of violating the Trade Descriptions Ordinance by deploying coercive sales approaches aimed at pressuring customers into paying for goods or services that they did not want.
Leung said that Hong Kong customs had received six complaints linked to the skincare brand, which targeted middle-aged or elderly shoppers. Victims reported being pressured into making purchases of up to HK$100,000, Leung added.
The Customs and Excise Department has called on anyone who experienced Opatra London’s aggressive sales approach to submit an official report. The investigation is ongoing and further arrests have not been ruled out.
Wednesday’s arrests come after a 58-year-old woman told police that she was made to pay over HK$60,000 for items she did not want to purchase at the Sha Tin branch of Opatra London, HK01 reported.
Earlier in August, a video showing the woman sitting in front of the store and crying was widely shared online.
A former staff member of Opatra London Hong Kong told Cable TV on Tuesday that the company instructed staff to lure in potential customers by offering them compliments and then obtain their credit cards.
Response from UK headquarters
According to HK01, Opatra London’s UK headquarters has said that its Hong Kong stores are operated by a local distribution partner and are not directly managed by the firm’s head office in London.
Opatra London operates four locations in Hong Kong. Besides the Sha Tin branch in the Citylink shopping centre, it also has shops in Yuen Long’s Yoho Mall, Tsim Sha Tsui’s Harbour City, and on Russell Street in Causeway Bay.
HKFP has reached out to Opatra London for comment.
