Maxim’s Group, accused by Hong Kong protesters of being a pro-government business, has launched seven new brands that have attempted to hide their ties with its parent company.

Maxim’s Caterers registered new trademarks this year, many of which were online food takeaway shops, according to data from the Intellectual Property Department. The seven new brands were not included in the 56 listed on Maxim’s website.

Bento Days, a new brand for Hawaiian-style rice dishes, only accepts takeaway orders from Diamond Hill, Kowloon Bay, North Point and Ma On Shan. The brand’s addresses included in delivery apps Deliveroo and Foodpanda were in fact the same as Japanese restaurants run by Maxim’s, namely Dondonya and Genki Sushi.

Another new brand CHICK IN A BOX is in eight locations in Hong Kong, sharing addresses with the Ippudo ramen restaurants, and four shared addresses with Dondonya.

A Dondonya branch staff member confessed to Apple Daily that the takeaway food orders for CHICK IN A BOX were in fact made by the restaurant’s kitchen.

Homebake, a new high-end bakery in Central, was not mentioned on the group’s website. There are often queues outside the store, but some customers told Apple Daily that they did not know it was run by Maxim’s.

The catering giant faced boycotts after Annie Wu, the eldest daughter of the late Maxim’s Group founder James Wu, publicly condemned anti-government protesters last year. The group had distanced itself from Annie Wu, saying that she was not involved in any management position.

Maxim’s has faced further difficulties under the COVID-19 pandemic. Revenue from its catering businesses in Hong Kong, mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore and other regions dropped almost 30% in the first half of 2020 when compared to the same period last year, summing to a loss of US$50 million, according to results announced by Dairy Farm, which owns half of Maxim’s shares.

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