Australian fans of British royal favourite Fortnum & Mason are in luck. The revered luxury department store is moving much closer to Down Under, with its first outpost in Hong Kong. This is the first overseas branch to be launched by the store in its 300-year history, with Fortnum & Mason currently numbering at four stores spread across London.

A favourite of the aristocracy (including Queen Elizabeth II), the shop was founded by Hugh Mason and William Fortnum in 1707 with a candle business, later expanding into food products and restaurants in due course.

As for its first Asian investment, Fortnum & Mason will be welcoming a two-storey outpost as a part of a new luxury mall this September. The chief executive of the company Ewan Venters has reportedly signed an eight-year lease on the new store, which will encompass a 7,000 square foot retail space selling Fortnum & Mason’s famed teas and biscuits. The second floor will boast a 100-seat restaurant focused around British cuisine, high tea included.

Why Hong Kong? Well the metropolis is not only a gateway city but home to a huge market of Fortnum & Mason fans, who till now have been able to buy its products through premium chain Lane Crawford. “We found Hong Kong people really love our products,” Venters commented to South China Daily. “We are coming to Hong Kong as it is a vibrant international city. In Hong Kong, we will be able to serve the local customers as well as the many tourists from Asia and other countries.”

Of course it was also the new store’s proposed location that formed a huge selling point. Fortnum & Mason Hong Kong will be moving into the new museum-retail complex K11 MUSEA that forms a key part of the US$2.6 billion Victoria Dockside development. “We decided to locate our shop at K11 MUSEA as it is not just a shopping mall, but a place where offering retail, an art gallery, cultural and fine dining experiences. This fits in with the history and culture of Fortnum and Mason,” Venters continues.