Arrests mark the first linked to beauty chain following mounting complaints and viral video of distressed customer
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenDanny MokPublished: 6:30pm, 19 Aug 2026Updated: 6:41pm, 19 Aug 2026Hong Kong customs officers have arrested two staff members from the local operations of Opatra London, a beauty chain embroiled in controversy over aggressive sales tactics, the South China Morning Post has learned.
The financial and administration managers — a man and a woman respectively — were detained on Wednesday, according to an insider familiar with the investigation, marking the first arrests linked to the UK-based chain accused of deploying high-pressure sales tactics targeting middle-aged and elderly shoppers.
Opatra London has been under mounting scrutiny after Hong Kong customs received at least six complaints alleging coercive and misleading sales practices. Victims reported being pressured into purchases ranging from HK$1,800 (US$230) to HK$100,000.
In one case, a 58‑year‑old woman said she spent HK$61,400 at the Sha Tin New Town Plaza branch, and a video of her crying outside the shop went viral online.
Customs officers earlier raided the company’s registered office in Sheung Wan, which turned out to be a secretarial company address, and seized documents. The chain’s four Hong Kong branches – in Sha Tin, Yuen Long, Causeway Bay, and Harbour City – have since suspended operations. Opatra has also faced lawsuits over unpaid rent totalling HK$795,000.
