Eu Yan Sang Chinese medical hall. While family- run or sole- proprietor Chinese medical halls are a common sight in Singapore’s housing estates, one name stands out— Eu Yan Sang. ‘Eu’ is the surname of the company’s founder, Eu Kong, and ‘yan sang’ means ‘caring for mankind’ in Cantonese.

The Eu Yan Sang Group has more than 80 retail outlets in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. It sells more than 250 products under its Eu Yan Sang brand name, as well as 1,000 different Chinese herbs and medicinal items through more than 6,000 wholesalers, medical halls, supermarkets, spas, health clubs and pharmacy chains.

The group has also expanded its reach to new overseas markets such as North America and Western Europe. It has an e- shop for online purchases; best- sellers include birds’ nest, Bak Foong pills for women and Bo Ying infant compound.

Eu Yan Sang also operates a dozen clinics in Singapore and Malaysia, and in Australia, a number of East- West fusion medicine centres that combine the best practices of conventional medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and other natural therapies.

The group was listed on the Singapore Exchange in 2000. Turnover has grown from $72 million in 2000 to $166 million for the financial year 2005. Net profit for 2005 was $12.4 million.

Photo credit: National Archives of Singapore