Carol Chow Pui-yin, 43, founder and chairwoman of property developer Lofter Group and creator of the popular Chorland Cookfood Stall, was found dead in her Kowloon City flat on Tuesday afternoon after suspected charcoal burning, police said.
Police received a report around 1pm that a woman had taken her own life at a flat on Prince Edward Road West. Officers arrived to find Chow lying on a bedroom bed with a tray of burnt charcoal beside her. She was pronounced dead at the scene. No suicide note was found.
Chow had suffered from depression for years, requiring regular check-ups and medication. About a week ago, she told friends her company was facing severe financial pressure but insisted she would not take her own life. She returned home alone around 2am on Tuesday with no signs of distress, but a friend later received a suicide message and called police.
A grassroots engineer who grew up in public housing in Sham Shui Po, Chow graduated from the University of Hong Kong in civil engineering in 2004 and earned a master's degree in finance from the United Kingdom. She borrowed HK$2.5 million interest-free from her father to start her business, buying and renovating her first property in Causeway Bay for HK$1.9 million and selling it three months later for HK$3 million.
She founded Lofter Group in 2012, adopting an "asset-light" model, providing project management and property consultancy services for funds and investors. By 2021, the group had completed 26 projects with an accumulated scale exceeding HK$6 billion. By 2023, it was simultaneously working on eight projects with total investment nearing HK$10 billion.
However, Lofter Group's One Bedford Place commercial project in Tai Kok Tsui became a mortgagee property in February 2024, with Bank of East Asia taking receivership and putting it up for sale for about HK$1.8 billion.
Chow also ventured into the food and beverage business, founding brands including Chorland, On On BBQ, WOFT and Hot Pot Land, but only Chorland remains operational, with others closing due to weak retail market conditions.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts, help is available. Dial 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or 2382 2007 for Suicide Prevention Services.
You can also call Suicide Prevention Services at 2382 0000 or CEASE Crisis Centre of Tung Wah Groups of Hospitals at 18281.The government hotline 18111 can provide support for people with mental health needs and render immediate mental health support and referral services.
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
