Wheelock and Company
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Real estate, Financial services, Retail |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Founder | Captain Thomas Reed Wheelock (origin company) |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong , Hong Kong |
Area served | Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, mainland China, Singapore, United Kingdom |
Key people | John Hung (former chairman) |
| Products | Property investment, development, management and agency services; retail and distribution businesses (Lane Crawford, Joyce, City'super) |
Wheelock and Company Limited is a financial real estate firm headquartered in Hong Kong, positioned at number 1249 on the Forbes Global 2000 ranking.
The company’s primary operations encompass property investment, development, management, and agency services, alongside holding investments. Additionally, the group manages retail and distribution businesses including Lane Crawford, Joyce, and City'super. Its presence extends across Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands, mainland China, and Singapore.
History
The origins of Wheelock and Company trace back to the acquisition of Wheelock and Marden Company Limited, which was originally established as Shanghai Tug and Lighter Limited in 1857 by Captain Thomas Reed Wheelock. In 1925, G.E. Marden founded Marden and Company; this entity merged with Wheelock’s tug operations in 1932 to create Wheelock and Marden. Following World War II, the company shifted its base to Hong Kong and expanded its activities into customs clearance, container transportation, warehousing, and travel-related services. Leadership under John L. Marden continued until the firm was acquired by business magnate Sir Yue-Kong Pao in 1985.
Captain Wheelock wed Edith Haswell Clarke in 1872 and fathered several children, among them Geoffrey Wheelock and Florence Wheelock Ayscough. After a brief retirement in 1889, he returned to China in 1897 and eventually died in Shanghai in 1920.
Operations
Functioning as a holding entity, Wheelock and Company holds significant real estate interests across Hong Kong, Singapore, China, and the United Kingdom. Its development projects focus on hotels, residential properties, and shopping complexes primarily through its majority-owned subsidiary The Wharf as well as its wholly owned Wheelock Properties. Beyond real estate development, Wharf maintains substantial investments in Hong Kong’s cable television, Internet access, and telecommunications industries. The firm also possesses control of more than two-thirds of Modern Terminals, a leading shipping terminal operator located in southern China.
See also
- John Hung, former chairman