Singapore's Zouk Group ventures beyond Asia and into the US for the first time, with a multimillion-dollar plan that will redefine the entertainment and lifestyle scene of Las Vegas
Six years ago, Singapore partygoers responded with a mix of emotions when news broke that Genting Hong Kong—a subsidiary of Malaysian conglomerate Genting Group—had acquired the country’s most iconic nightclub, Zouk, for an undisclosed amount. Many longtime Zouk fans were sceptical of whether it was the right move for the club, which has become an institution for several generations of Singaporeans since it opened in 1991.
While Zouk’s future seemed uncertain to clubbers, it was never clearer to the Genting team. For Lim Keong Hui, the son of Genting Group chairman Lim Kok Thay, and Zouk’s then-newly minted CEO Andrew Li, the future was in expansion, both in terms of the lifestyle concepts that Zouk could offer as well as its presence worldwide.
“The Zouk brand has such an emotional connection with Singapore, that’s why we’ve been careful with how we grow it from day one,” says Li. “But we also understand that it needs to be a [sustainable] business, so Hui and I tapped on our experiences with nightlife from around the world in order to elevate some of Zouk’s experiences.”
And expand it did. In 2019, Zouk opened its second nightclub in Malaysia, a 34,000 sq ft space in the mountains at the Resorts World Genting. Its first club in Malaysia, situated in the city of Kuala Lumpur, opened in 2004 when the brand was still helmed by its founder, Lincoln Cheng.
In 2020, the temporary closure of nightclubs across Singapore due to the Covid-19 outbreak saw Li and his team responding quickly with a pivot plan. This led to the club opening up its spaces for other purposes, such as spin classes, a restaurant and a cinema pop-up.
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