Decades of experience in Hong Kong

DKSH's presence in Hong Kong dates from the early 1920s. Edward Anton Keller, one of the three Swiss founders of DKSH, founded Ed. A. Keller & Co. in Manila, having taken over Lutz & Co. Ltd. in 1887. The firm entered Hong Kong in 1922 through the acquisition of a small trading house belonging to a Swiss national named E. Kern, who specialized in the import of textiles and embroidery from Switzerland, and in the export of Chinese handicrafts, mainly jade and ivory ornaments.

After long and complex consideration, it was decided in 1923 to create a new company in Manila under the name Keller, Kern & Co. Ltd. This company opened a branch office in Hong Kong, incorporating the existing firm of E. Kern.

On December 21, 1933, the shareholders' general assembly of Ed. A. Keller & Co. Ltd. decided to liquidate Manila-based Keller, Kern & Co. Ltd. and to transform the Hong Kong office into a direct branch of the company’s headquarters in Zurich.

Thanks to a rapid growth in business, the Hong Kong office soon overtook the Manila operation and established itself as the firm's most important source of revenue. In 1973, when the company celebrated its 50th anniversary, the Hong Kong office of Ed. A. Keller & Co. Ltd. was considered one of the leading Swiss firms, if not the leading Swiss firm, in Hong Kong.