Watsons your personal store is under the A.S Watson Group umbrella, which is a member of the world renowned Hong Kong-based conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Limited owned by the tycoon Li Ka-shing, which has major interests in ports & related services, telecommunications, property & hotels, retail and energy, infrastructure, investments and others with businesses in 54 countries and employs over 98,000 staff.

Each week, millions of customers in thirteen markets shop at Watsons Your Personal Store. Asia’s leading health & beauty chain dates back to 1828, when the Canton Dispensary was first founded as a clinic to provide free medical aid to the poor in Canton, China.

Building on its long-standing reputation for quality and innovation, Watsons Your Personal Store offers more than 25,000 products in over 1,400 outlets. Products range from medicines, cosmetics and toiletries to fashion items, confectionery, cards, and toys.

Currently, Watsons operates in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Macau, Korea, the Philippines, Turkey, Estonia and Slovenia.

A.S. Watson also operates the following health & beauty retail brand names worldwide: Nuance-Watson, Kruidvat, Trekpleister, Rossmann, Drogas, Superdrug, Savers, Spektr.

Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, whose main intention was to develop a piece of software which would revolutionise telephone calls. Allowing users to speak to each other via computers promotes the use of the Voice over Internet protocol and the use of computers in the technologically advancing world. Users are able to talk for free, an incentive to future and present member.

The auction site eBay began talks with Skype in September 2005. On 12th September 2005, it was announced that eBay would purchase Skype in a deal worth approximately USD$2.6bn, in up-front cash and eBay stock. The transfer of ownership began and eBay officially acquired Skype on 14th October 2005.
Skype is available in 27 languages and currently has 100 million worldwide users.

Last month, Skype launched a promotional campaign in Tallin, Estonia, with full tram branding called “The Skype Tram”, where you can ride for free and of course talk on Skype for free also.