The French population in Hong Kong has doubled since 2005, with French businesses increasingly looking to cash in on Asia's boom, reports The South China Morning Post.
Arnault Castel, the founder and owner of fashion and lifestyle boutique Kapok, is among the many French entrepreneurs who bet on the Asian growth story when he set up his business in the city seven years ago.
The 39-year-old Castel decided to come to Hong Kong in search of work in 1996 after he watched Wong Kar-wai's 1994 arthouse classic Chungking Express.
"Back then, I had no idea about Asia or Hong Kong. But Hong Kong came across as an exciting city so I decided to come to work here," he said.
Castel worked as a banker for a few years before setting up his two companies in 2005. One of these was Kapok, with three shops selling trendy bags and watches, while the other distributed high-end notebook brand Moleskine.
"It is easy to set up business in Hong Kong as the regulation here is very simple. It would be much more complicated to do so in France," Castel said.
"People here are also willing to buy goods they like immediately without waiting for sales."
The challenges for him, like many retailers, is rising rent. The landlord of one of his shops doubled the rent in October.
Read more of this report from The South China Morning Post.