K K Fong's comeback story

BUSINESSMAN K K Fong is dreaming big again, 15 years after his ill-fated venture to blanket Singapore and China with Internet kiosks. This time, the boss of mainboard-listed Xpress Holdings is attempting to rejuvenate a struggling print industry battered by increasing media digitisation and lower print volumes.

"I still want to focus on printing. I've been in it for so many years - from the day I left school until now," Mr Fong, whose less well-known name is Fong Kah Kuen, tells The Business Times.

"To find the right model is a challenge. It's a responsibility. Nobody dares to take this challenge; a lot of people will run. Maybe I'm stupid to try. But if I make it, it's the other way around."

Mr Fong says that he is planning to set up a large network of franchised retail outlets in China, offering print and graphic design services. Xpress is targeting a global network of at least 100 of these print stores and shops by 2015, from just its current Singapore flagship store on Robinson Road…