Mannings, the health and beauty chain brand of Hong Kong Dairy Farm Group, has opened its first store in Tianjin.

Mannings, one of the largest health and beauty product chain store brands in Hong Kong, has announced its latest expansion plan and the company says it will increase the number of its outlets in mainland China to over 150 before the end of 2009.

Despite the downturn in the economy, Christian Nothhaft, managing director of Watsons China, has announced that the company plans to open 120 new stores in 2009, which means opening two new stores weekly.

Hong Kong-based health and beauty products retail chain Mannings has made a low-key entry into the Beijing market.

According to the latest from Sing Tao News, two of Hong Kong's main retail chains, Mannings and Wellcome, have removed milk powder made by Swiss food giant Nestle from their shelves after a newspaper reported that samples contained the industrial chemical melamine.

Mannings, the Hong Kong retail giant, has opened its first shop in Shanghai, marking the beginning of the company's expansion in mainland China.