opened on 29 April 1988, with the chain expanding to operate 27 outlets across the city-state by 1993. The first Watsons store in China opened in April 1989. Located in Beijing's newly opened Palace Hotel, the shop's products were all shipped from Hong Kong, and were therefore for sale in foreign exchange certificates only. Watson's management thus expected the shop's customers to mainly comprise foreign tourists. The Palace Hotel was partly owned by the People's Liberation Army, which required all shop staff to complete a month-long boot camp. Watsons personal care stores were subsequently opened in Malaysia (1994) and Thailand (1996). The first Watsons store in Indonesia opened on 13 January 2006 in Jakarta. In 2019, Watsons reached 7,800 stores and expanded to Vietnam, the 13th operating market of Watsons. In 2020, Al-Futtaim and A.S. Watson Group have signed a franchise agreement to open stores of healthcare and beauty chain Watsons in the Gulf. Watsons opened its first flagship store at the Dubai Mall in October 2020. Operations As of 2021, there are around 8,000 stores and more than 1,500 pharmacies in 14 Asian and European markets, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. A.S. Watson Retail, as well as the Watson chain of stores in Hong Kong, is headquartered in Watson House, Fo Tan, Hong Kong. An 11-storey distribution centre opened in April 1983. References External links Customer website A.S. Watson Group Retail companies established in 1828 Hong Kong brands AS Watson Retail companies of China Pharmacies of China Pharmacy brands Retailing in Hong Kong