在香港的法國(guó)小老板

It is not unusual to feel homesick while workingabroad but when Jérôme Spitzer began to pine forthe classic bistro fare he loved as a boy in Paris, heresisted hopping on to the next flight to Charles deGaulle airport and took action.

在國(guó)外工作時(shí)想念家鄉(xiāng)并不罕見(jiàn)，但當(dāng)杰羅姆•斯皮策(Jérôme Spitzer)開(kāi)始想念他小時(shí)候在巴黎鐘愛(ài)的那種經(jīng)典小館菜肴時(shí)，他頂住了誘惑，沒(méi)有登上下一班飛往戴高樂(lè)機(jī)場(chǎng)的航班，而是行動(dòng)了起來(lái)。

 

 

The 25-year-old, who had arrived in Hong Kong 18 months earlier to work for a Spanishimporter, found a kindred spirit in another French expatriate. Undaunted by the unfoldingglobal financial crisis, the pair trawled the streets of Central, Hong Kong’s glitzy entertainmentdistrict, searching for small premises suitable for a traditional French-style bistro.

18個(gè)月前，這位25歲的年輕人來(lái)到香港為一家西班牙進(jìn)口商工作，他發(fā)現(xiàn)一位與他志趣相投的法國(guó)同胞。二人不懼全球金融危機(jī)蔓延的影響，在香港華麗耀眼的娛樂(lè)區(qū)中環(huán)地區(qū)的街道上，尋找適合開(kāi)設(shè)傳統(tǒng)法式小館的小店面。

The result was Pastis, which opened in 2009.

結(jié)果是Pastis在2009年開(kāi)門迎賓。

Five years later they have six establishments dotted around Hong Kong Island, each styled toevoke a particular type of French brasserie. Step into Saint-Germain and you could be in anelegant café on Paris’s Left Bank, while Metropolitain in the upcoming Sai Ying Punneighbourhood evokes an artsy Montmartre atmosphere.

5年后，他們已在香港島上擁了有6家門店，每家都透露出獨(dú)特的法國(guó)小館風(fēng)格。步入Saint-Germain，仿佛置身于巴黎左岸一個(gè)優(yōu)雅的咖啡館，而西營(yíng)盤高街地區(qū)的Metropolitain則煥發(fā)出一種蒙馬特藝術(shù)氣息。

Today Mr Spitzer reflects on his decision to go into business, describing it as “a very selfishmove, as much as for us as for the French community”.

如今，斯皮策在回想他從商的決定時(shí)，把它稱為“一種非常利己的舉動(dòng)，既為了我們自己，也為了法國(guó)人群體”。

Hong Kong has long been home to French bankers and civil engineers, but Mr Spitzerexemplifies a new breed of French expatriate that has emerged in the territory in recent years:the petit entrepreneur.

長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)，很多法國(guó)銀行家和土木工程師不斷來(lái)到香港，但斯皮策是最近幾年在香港新出現(xiàn)的一類典型法國(guó)人：小企業(yè)主。

Five years ago small- and medium-sized businesses made up about 40 per cent of thebusinesses registered with the French chamber of commerce in Hong Kong; today thisproportion has risen to 50 per cent.

5年前，中小型企業(yè)占香港法國(guó)工商總會(huì)注冊(cè)企業(yè)總數(shù)的40%左右：如今這一比例已升至50%。

“French businesses in the city are really a snapshot of Hong Kong’s gross domestic product”,says Orianne Chenain, executive director of the French chamber of commerce. Expatriateshave started businesses in all sorts of sectors, including retail, construction and hospitality.

法國(guó)工商總會(huì)執(zhí)行董事奧里亞納•舍南(Orianne Chenain)表示：“在港法國(guó)企業(yè)確實(shí)為香港的地區(qū)生產(chǎn)總值(GDP)做出了廣泛貢獻(xiàn)”。在香港的法國(guó)人在零售、建筑和餐飲等各行各業(yè)開(kāi)辦了企業(yè)。

There are a number of factors propelling this trend: the perceived ease of doing businesscompared to France, the appeal of French products to native Hong Kongers and expatriatesalike as well as the growing French community itself, which reinforces the demand forhomegrown goods and services.

推動(dòng)這一趨勢(shì)的因素很多：據(jù)認(rèn)為香港具備比法國(guó)更明顯的經(jīng)商便利性，同時(shí)法國(guó)產(chǎn)品吸引著香港本地人和外籍人士以及不斷壯大的法國(guó)人群體，這些促進(jìn)了對(duì)法國(guó)國(guó)產(chǎn)商品和服務(wù)的需求。

More than 11,100 French citizens registered at the French Consulate in Hong Kong last year,almost double the 6,236 who did so in 2007, fuelled by the desire to seek opportunities awayfrom their homeland. However officials estimate the real number is far higher – around 17,000.

去年，在法國(guó)駐香港總領(lǐng)事館注冊(cè)的法國(guó)公民超過(guò)了1.11萬(wàn)，幾乎是2007年(6236人)的兩倍，這得益于法國(guó)人希望在本國(guó)以外尋找機(jī)會(huì)。然而，官員們估計(jì)，實(shí)際數(shù)字要高的多，大約為1.7萬(wàn)人。

The French entrepreneurs believe setting up a business in Hong Kong is easier than it would beback home, given the relative lack of bureaucracy and low start-up costs. “The legalenvironment in France is perceived by French entrepreneurs as being more constrained,” saysMs Chenain.

法國(guó)創(chuàng)業(yè)者認(rèn)為，香港官僚作風(fēng)相對(duì)較少且創(chuàng)業(yè)成本較低，因而在香港創(chuàng)業(yè)要比在法國(guó)容易。舍南表示：“法國(guó)創(chuàng)業(yè)者認(rèn)為，法國(guó)的法律環(huán)境限制更多。”

Mr Spitzer estimates that, had he set up a similar bistro in France, the cost would have beentwo to three times as great in Hong Kong.

斯皮策估計(jì)，如果他在法國(guó)開(kāi)一家類似的小餐館，成本將是香港的兩到三倍。

“Hong Kong gave us the will to start as entrepreneurs and also the idea to set up our owncompany,” he says. “When we first came to Hong Kong we were not expecting to do somethingso fast.”

“香港讓我們有了創(chuàng)業(yè)的意愿，還賦予了我們創(chuàng)建自己公司的想法，”他表示，“當(dāng)我們初到香港時(shí)，我們沒(méi)有料到事情會(huì)進(jìn)展這么快。”

Rents are higher in Hong Kong, he notes, but the costs of doing business are mitigated bylower tax and longer opening hours.

他指出，香港的租金較高，但較低的稅率以及較長(zhǎng)的營(yíng)業(yè)時(shí)間，都降低了經(jīng)商成本。

Anthony Rendall, a French expatriate, swapped a life penning travel guides for French publisherGallimard to launch a business importing French wine for the Hong Kong market. He says thatthe time and paperwork needed to register a business is far less.

法國(guó)人安東尼•倫德?tīng)?Anthony Rendall)原來(lái)的工作是為法國(guó)出版社Gallimard撰寫旅行指南，如今他開(kāi)設(shè)了一家公司，為香港市場(chǎng)進(jìn)口法國(guó)紅酒。他表示，注冊(cè)企業(yè)所需時(shí)間和填表申請(qǐng)工作比法國(guó)要少得多。

“Within two days and for HK$150 (£12) I had a limited company, a bank account and was setfor business,” he says. “Everything was made so simple from the first day.”

“我用兩天不到的時(shí)間花150港元(合12英鎊)就擁有了一家有限公司、一個(gè)銀行賬戶，可以開(kāi)業(yè)了，”他表示，“從第一天起，一切都是如此簡(jiǎn)單。”

The perception of the French lifestyle as the epitome of style by Hong Kong Chinese andtourists from mainland China is a large part of the reason why French consumer and leisurebusinesses are proliferating in Hong Kong.

香港華人和來(lái)自中國(guó)內(nèi)地的游客將法國(guó)生活方式視為風(fēng)尚的典范，這是法國(guó)消費(fèi)和休閑企業(yè)在香港不斷增多的一個(gè)很重要的原因。

Mr Rendall, who retained a deep affection for Hong Kong after being brought up there, spotteda gap in the market for selling good quality, affordable French wine.

倫德?tīng)栐谙愀坶L(zhǎng)大，對(duì)香港有著很深的感情，他發(fā)現(xiàn)香港在質(zhì)量上乘的平價(jià)法國(guó)紅酒銷售市場(chǎng)存在一個(gè)空白。

“Most of the upper tier wines are very expensive and of the middle range wines very little isavailable, and they are mostly New World wines,” he says. “If you want to buy something goodthe price is HK$300, in France the prices are a third of that.”

“多數(shù)高檔紅酒價(jià)格非常昂貴，而市場(chǎng)上中檔紅酒非常少，多數(shù)是新世界葡萄酒(New World，指除歐洲以外產(chǎn)區(qū)的葡萄酒)，”他表示，“如果你想買一些不錯(cuò)的紅酒，價(jià)格在300港元，而在法國(guó)，價(jià)格只有香港的三分之一。”

In May, together with his sister, a wine critic, he launched the business and also began hostingwine-tasting sessions aboard a traditional junk boat, a type of outing perennially popularwith expats.

今年5月，他與身為酒評(píng)家的姐姐開(kāi)了這家公司，還開(kāi)始在一艘傳統(tǒng)的仿古船上開(kāi)設(shè)品酒會(huì)，這種出游方式在香港外籍人士中一直很受歡迎。

“A junk is part of the Hong Kong lifestyle and part of the French lifestyle was missing,” he says.

他表示：“仿古船是香港生活方式的一部分，法國(guó)的部分生活方式正在消失。”

Contrasting his childhood memories of a virtually empty French school during the seventies tothe present day, he believes the swelling community in itself encourages more to follow in theirfootsteps.

在他兒時(shí)的回憶中，上世紀(jì)70年代的法國(guó)學(xué)校幾乎空無(wú)一人，這與現(xiàn)在形成對(duì)比，他認(rèn)為，這個(gè)不斷壯大的群體正鼓勵(lì)更多人追隨他們的步伐。

Arnault Castel, who owns several stores selling brands including French fashion houses Carvenand Kenzo, says he is “happily the victim of a stereotype.”

阿爾諾•卡斯特爾(Arnault Castel)擁有幾家門店，銷售包括法國(guó)時(shí)裝品牌Carven和Kenzo在內(nèi)的品牌，他表示，他“很高興成為了老一套模式的犧牲品。”

The former banker moved to Hong Kong in 1996 but was struck by the absence of European-style boutiques as opposed to the brash luxury malls that had sprung up across the city. “Itwas not really planned [but] it is really very easy to start a business here; the initial investmentis quite low,” he says.

卡斯特爾之前是一位銀行人士，1996年移居香港，他注意到，盡管香港的豪華商廈拔地而起，但缺少歐洲風(fēng)格的精品店。他表示：“實(shí)際上我沒(méi)有什么計(jì)劃(但)在這里創(chuàng)業(yè)確實(shí)非常容易，初始投資非常低。”

The chain, named Kapok, was founded in 2006 and targets Hong Kong’s young, affluent andstyle-conscious crowd. There are now thirteen stores across Singapore, Tokyo and Taipei withhalf of them in Hong Kong.

他經(jīng)營(yíng)的連鎖店名為Kapok，創(chuàng)建于2006年，瞄準(zhǔn)香港那些年輕富有且關(guān)注格調(diào)的人群。如今，他在新加坡、東京和臺(tái)北等地開(kāi)設(shè)了13家店面，其中有一半位于香港。

The designer clothing and quirky jewellery are especially popular with Japanese tourists and,increasingly, those from mainland China who come to Hong Kong to shop.

設(shè)計(jì)師服裝以及新奇古怪的珠寶特別受日本游客的歡迎，而且越來(lái)越受到來(lái)香港掃貨的中國(guó)內(nèi)地游客的歡迎。

“We focus on really small, really emerging brands,” Mr Castel says. “People are looking forsomething a bit different.”

“我們關(guān)注的是非常小、非常新的品牌，”卡斯特爾表示，“人們?cè)趯ふ乙恍┯悬c(diǎn)不同的東西。”

For a new generation of Asian Francophiles seduced by the fantasy of la vie Française, thatsomething different often means seeking a dash of French style. “The expatriate community isacting as an opinion leader,” Mr. Rendall says. “People from every walk of life come to HongKong, and we’ve reached cultural and critical mass.”

對(duì)于被法國(guó)生活吸引、憧憬法國(guó)的新一代亞洲人而言，與眾不同通常意味著尋求一抹法國(guó)風(fēng)格。“這些在香港的外籍群體正成為輿論領(lǐng)袖，”倫德?tīng)柋硎荆?ldquo;各行各業(yè)的人們來(lái)到香港，我們實(shí)現(xiàn)了文化的大融合。”