Me & My Property

From F&B failure to success in real estate

Kelvin Thong started at PropNex with nothing but now owns a penthouse and 2 condo units

PropNex Realty associate senior group district division director Kelvin Thong, his wife Anne Koh, and their children - (from left) Xavier, Tiffany and Cayden. The family lives in a 2,637 sq ft five-bedroom duplex penthouse at Botannia in West Coast P
PropNex Realty associate senior group district division director Kelvin Thong, his wife Anne Koh, and their children - (from left) Xavier, Tiffany and Cayden. The family lives in a 2,637 sq ft five-bedroom duplex penthouse at Botannia in West Coast Park. ST PHOTOS: NG SOR LUAN
Mr Thong bought the Botannia penthouse in March 2017 for $2.42 million. The family used to live in a four-bedroom apartment in the same estate (left) before upgrading to the penthouse, which has a large roof terrace (right), where they spend time wit
Mr Thong bought the Botannia penthouse in March 2017 for $2.42 million.
PropNex Realty associate senior group district division director Kelvin Thong, his wife Anne Koh, and their children - (from left) Xavier, Tiffany and Cayden. The family lives in a 2,637 sq ft five-bedroom duplex penthouse at Botannia in West Coast P
The family used to live in a four-bedroom apartment in the same estate before upgrading to the penthouse, which has a large roof terrace(above) , where they spend time with families and friends.
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Mr Kelvin Thong's career in real estate began in August 2010 after he wound up his failed food and beverage business.

He had ventured into F&B and invested in a start-up (a Korean BBQ yakitori concept store at Jurong Point) for two years. However, business was bad and he had to continue injecting funds into it. Before long, he started to default on his suppliers.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on April 28, 2019, with the headline Me & My Property: From F&B failure to success in real estate. Subscribe