#218 August Sheung Wan Wing On Roadshow: Will We Return to Department Stores? Thoughts and Reflections (09/08/2026)

"If I turned into a worm, and you had to kiss the worm to be with me, would you still love me?" The girl leaned against the railing of the waterfront promenade, turning her side to face the boy and muttering.

The boy smiled gently and slowly reached out to brush the hair from her cheek behind her ear. He never thought such a corny question would still be asked in this day and age. Human technology has advanced rapidly, but in the end, what everyone cherishes most is still simple and unconditional love.

The above is not a novel, but written for a reason. Why am I suddenly writing this? Because this week we are holding a four-week roadshow at Wing On, Sheung Wan, until August 31st. I wanted to write about Wing On Sheung Wan holding a roadshow in August and returning to department stores. When I found a quiet moment alone late at night, thinking about the above, I realized that although one is a conversation between a man and a woman, and the other is a business decision, the underlying logic is actually the same.

Let me interject here: I know, everyone wants to know what happened to the girl next... No one really wants to read about why we're returning to department stores, or the reasons for holding a roadshow at Wing On Sheung Wan in August. Perhaps everyone has already forgotten, but I'll save that for later. Let's talk about department stores first.

Actually, those who have read my weekly updates might know that Re Pillow used to have its pillows retailed for a long time at Yata in Sha Tin and several AEON department stores. We also held various roadshows in different department stores last year. However, as I believe I wrote last year, due to the commission-based model and operational methods of department stores, there were often more restrictions, and it didn't align well with my desired D2C (Direct to Consumer) approach. It felt like there was always an extra layer between us and the customers, and it also added to the cost that customers had to bear. Therefore, it wasn't very suitable for us at the time, and we completely withdrew from department stores. This August, I decided to try again, with a one-month roadshow at Wing On in Sheung Wan. The reason is that, of course, the reasons I mentioned above from last year are very real, but if we can discuss and have the opportunity to cooperate, to some extent, department stores can also help us enter the mainstream. Entering the mainstream is also a goal we really want to achieve, because only by entering the mainstream and having more people use our products can different people find the styles they want. And in terms of production, the cost can become more affordable through wider use, allowing more people to use them. This is something I truly want to do, and I believe that if Re Pillow's various products are to become widespread, it is a necessary stage to go through. Therefore, I want to see if we can find a balance where we can continue to be Direct to Consumer and directly connect with customers, and also discuss a better cooperation model with the department store regarding their commission-based model and operational methods, so that we can complement each other. This actually brings us back to the story at the beginning of the article: "If I turned into a worm, and you had to kiss the worm to be with me, would you still love me?" If I have to kiss the worm (enter department stores) to be with the girl I like (make Re Pillow mainstream, allow more people to use it, improve the product, make it more affordable, offer more styles, and achieve overall progress), I am willing.

This was also my answer to her that day.

And this is also my approach today. Although I don't know how it will turn out, I want to try. That's all for this week. Thank you for your support, and I hope my dream will come true one day.