Brandt Louie is president of H.Y. Louie Company, Ltd, and chairman and chief executive officer of London Drugs, Ltd.
The H.Y. Louie Company grew from a humble store founded by Brandt’s grandfather, Hok Yat Louie. H.Y. Brandt settled in Vancouver in 1896, after paying the $50 head tax required from immigrant Chinese, and opened a grocery store in 1903 in Vancouver’s Chinatown. The modest grocery store grew under the direction of Hok Yat Louie’s sons, Tim and Tong (Brandt’s father), and they established a chain of IGA grocery and London Drug stores.
In 1966, Brandt Louie earned a bachelor of commerce from the University of British Columbia and became a chartered accountant. He joined the family business in 1972. His apprenticeship included everything from meat cutting to stocking shelves and after 15 years Louie replaced his father as president. Today, the H.Y. Louie Company is British Columbia’s second largest business in addition to more than 70 London Drugs stores, it also owns London Air Services, a jet charter business, and produces a variety of home, health and electronic products.
