James Middleton is moving to Hong Kong for 3 months to expand Boomf

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Marshmallow Magnate James Middleton is being sent away. The whole thing seems really odd, quite honestly. Back in December, James gave an interview where he defended his previous failed businesses and how they prepared him for the success of Boomf, his Instagram-printed marshmallow-business. If it seems like a weird thing, to hinge your business savvy on printed marshmallows, you would be right. It’s even weirder because James keeps trying to get more investors for Boomf, and he wants to sink other people’s money into the venture, to the tune of something like $3 million, probably more. James went on and on about how we need to take him seriously as a businessman. And now he’ll get the last laugh? He’s moving to Hong Kong temporarily to set up Boomf’s Asian operations. Some highlights from the Daily Mail’s story (they framed it as a breakup story):

His girlfriend Donna Air will not join James in Hong Kong: She’s staying in England but “he is taking his beloved cocker spaniel Ella with him for the three-month stay… He has arranged for the cocker spaniel to have a ‘pet passport’, and intends for her to travel with him on every visit to Hong Kong.”

Donna & James are going on a break: “Friends say that Mr Middleton and the TV presenter, who have been together since 2013, have agreed to endure a ‘relationship sabbatical’ until he returns. However, he will continue to spend much of the year visiting Hong Kong for weeks at a time as he recruits staff for his Asian office.”

James loves his dog Ella: “Ella is also likely to sit in on meetings in Hong Kong, for she has been an integral part of the two-year-old company since her devoted owner declared her CEO of Boomf’s sister firm Buntella – which offers personalised bunting. On her own Twitter page she is described as ‘Working mum/CEO at Buntella. Likes long walks [and] tummy tickles’.”

James’ goal in Hong Kong: “Mr Middleton hopes to recruit at least a dozen staff in Hong Kong. An advert on his firm’s website reads: ‘We want more people in South East Asia to discover the multi-sensory delight that is a Boomf marshmallow… we’ve done well in the region, and want to step it up a gear.’ The site lists ‘lots of marshmallows’ as one of the role’s benefits.”

[From The Daily Mail]

Do you think Hong Kong will take James Middleton seriously? Do you think it’s smart to expand his marshmallow empire into Asia via Hong Kong? Do you think Donna Air even cares that he’s leaving? Do you think Ella has the skills to be CEO of a bunting company? So many questions! I’ll admit, my inner conspiracy theorist is wondering why James is being sent away right at this moment. I suppose we’ll never really know, but if I had to put money on it, I’d say that it’s a scheme hatched by Carole to cover up some nefarious business transaction.

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Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

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53 Responses to “James Middleton is moving to Hong Kong for 3 months to expand Boomf”

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  1. MooHoo says:

    maybe he should tweet mark zuckerberg for some funding.

    • Ivy says:

      That’s a good idea. He could use his dog’s Twitter to save himself the embarassment. Not everyone has Kanye’s courage to beg for money publicly.

  2. Sixer says:

    Best wishes, Hong Kong. You can keep him. And Boomf.

    My cousin lives in Hong Kong. She will not thank me for saying this.

    An ad for Boomf infected my television the other day. Thankfully, it was on a recorded show, so I got to fast forward.

  3. Supersoft says:

    I must give it to him, he is obviously in this marshmallow business thing for serious. And moving that idea to Asia might turn out actually very well.
    Maybe i do have a soft spot for dog lovers though. He could sell toilet paper with IG prints, as long as there are heart-warming dog stories.

    • wow says:

      Lol! I agree.

      I’m rather surprised this Boomf thing is working out enough for him to expand considering it was previously reported in the media that his company was having problems.

      As for the girlfriend-sabbatical… hmm.

    • Cynd8013 says:

      I wonder why he is trying to make this thing happen with marshmallows. I mean, how many marshmallows does one eat on a regular basis? Now chocolate on the other hand, a lot of us eat daily. Why not make IG-printed chocolates? Something more mainstream. Anywho, I can’t blame him for trying to capitalize on his sister’s connections. James wants to get in on the jackpot, too.

  4. popodamofo says:

    He looks so skeevy…

    • Olenna says:

      ITA. I couldn’t get past his photo and “Marshmallow Magnate”, so I have nothing else to add the conversation.

    • Carol says:

      I think he looks exactly like Jude Law with a beard – who is also pretty skeevy.

  5. INeedANap says:

    Lawd help me, I think this may be a good idea. There’s a big luxury and luxury-adjacent market in China (more mainland than HK, but there you are) and this might find an audience. Not one big enough for a business empire, but one to keep him afloat.

    CEO Ella is a business savvy puppy, and does not tolerate her credentials being questioned.

  6. BasicBitch says:

    the rob kardashian of England

    • Ivy says:

      You give me ideas. Has anyone thought of Instagrams printed on socks yet? Or socks printed on marshmelllows? Behold, I’m going to build an empire on that.

    • ladysussex says:

      Really? James M. has a university education. Does RK? James M. isn’t an obese drug user. RK is. James M. doesn’t date rap video skanks. RK does. RK’s business went in the toilet. James’ business is expanding internationally. RK was on an inane reality tv show. Was James M.? Nope. How do you compare the two?

      • LAK says:

        James dropped out of university. James has 2 failed businesses – investments given to him by family ie dodgy Uncle Gary, this is his third business and going by public records, is not doing well. Until a recent clean up, there were unedifying pics of James partying all over the Internet. Pics of him urinating in public, drunk and disorderly, being a right tit. Pics that started those rumours about his sexuality.

        RK has issues, but JM isn’t any better.

      • Tourmaline says:

        Got to stand up for Rob K here on one point, Rob graduated from USC so he certainly does have a university education. James dropped out of university after less than a year I think.

    • Tourmaline says:

      Off topic but whenever I see stories calling Rob K a “sock designer” I cackle to myself. As if he’s at a drawing board industriously sketching and engineering socks.

  7. Greenieweenie says:

    Well, I’ll keep an eye out.

    Personally….I am not a fan of Hong Kong. It’s like a small town wrapped up in a world-class city exterior. Everyone speaks English but I swear to God, I cannot communicate with these people (by “these people”, I mean mainly UK expats of a certain caliber–sorry, I no longer have any patience for delicate English sensibilities–and anyone involved in any kind of bureaucracy minus Immigration, which is surprisingly efficient and functional). Idk if there is much of a market here but people can certainly be bafflingly stupid so maybe he’ll feel right at home.

    Come to think of it, there may very well be a viable Instagram marshmallow market here in Asia.

    • Sixer says:

      My cousin – herself a British ex pat in Hong Kong! – has the same view on the British ex pat community there as you do.

      • Greenieweenie says:

        Yeah, I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but there are whole swathes of absolutely useless people here. Everyone keeps telling me it’s Brit-style bureaucracy, in which case I’d rather self immolate than ever work there. Maybe this is just what happens when investment bankers congregate en masse.

      • Sixer says:

        I’m afraid they are our 1%. You can see why I find it unlikely that the City of London and its ex pats will be the people to steer Britain to a better future.

        The rest of Britain is much nicer.

    • Ankhel says:

      A few generations ago, posh British families would send their underachievers and their black sheep out to the colonies as a last ditch effort. Even if it didn’t work, at least they were embarrassments elsewhere. In an Agatha Christie novel you always know the butler didn’t do it if a charming, youngish nephew has just arrived from another continent.

      It’s uplifting to see how the Middletons continue their effort to blend in with the pukka sahibs and the other inedibles, no?

      • Sixer says:

        Pukka sahibs made me laugh out loud! So true. My cousin says it’s like the 1930s out there, so you know, I don’t think you are far off.

      • Supersoft says:

        lol. You might be onto something.

      • Greenieweenie says:

        Haha, I love that others feel my pain. I could fill the internet with my whines about the bureaucracy here. It’s really not limited to one group of people though. It’s like a bureaucratic culture that has permeated everything. I have found Brit expat coworkers bafflingly sensitive…but also locals. And people are just mind-numbingly incapable of critical thinking across the board. This is a place for people who love rules and love reciting them to everyone, particularly when rules are completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. Used to make me rage so hard but am resigned to it now. Like I said, it’s a very very small pond under the mistaken impression that it’s a big body of water.

  8. Adrien says:

    Yes, yes. Instagram marshmallows are so in demand in SouthEast Asia right now.

  9. Dana says:

    “…the multi-sensory delight that is a Boomf marshmallow…” has me cracking up.

  10. Katie says:

    If Hello Kitty can thrive, then why not Instagramallows (trademark pending)?

    But the timing is odd and random. Perhaps Carole is getting rid of her less successful children for a while. The Middleton kids don’t really seem to be good for much other than tabloid fodder.

  11. margie says:

    I think he could actually do well with Boomf in a Japanese market or South Korean market- this seems like it could fit in with a lot of the trends there right now. But he is probably going after Hong Kong because he feels like that is where a lot of the money is. Who knows- maybe he knows what he is doing, or maybe this will go down in marshmallow-fueled flames.

  12. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    Why does he make me shudder with repulsion and cringe with sympathy at the same time?

  13. lilacflowers says:

    I’ll support my local boutique marshmallow purveyor, without instagram, thank you. She makes carmels too!

  14. kri says:

    I have finally found it, you guys!!! The inscription that will go onto my pyramid-shaped tombstone!! “She enjoyed the multi-sensory delight of a Boomf marshmallow”. Oh my god. This dude sounds as eccentric as an actual royal. Give him a crown. Ella sounds dope, though

  15. dimsumum says:

    Why doesnt the pooch stay at Middleton Mansion? Not a lot of green space for Ella to race about here, and HK working hours are insane.

    Will he be taken seriously in HK? A lot depends on his work ethic and attitude. Gone are the days of expat packages. Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, was rejected from Harvard seven times I think. If James relies on name-dropping rather than hard work, he won’t get past the first meeting.

    • Betti says:

      I think he’s banking on using his Royal connections over there as he would get away with it. If he tried it here the press and ROyal Household would have something to say about it. His family has previous for trying to cash in on their Royal connections.

  16. Miss_Magpie says:

    Guys….I actually know someone who brought up Boomf recently, that they were one of her favorites gifts to give. (“It is the best thing ever! You send in a pic that they hate, and then they get to burn it while roasting the marshmallow!”). This woman is in a high powered job making boatloads, and she is not in any way shape or form a royal watcher, as a matter of fact she was stunned when I told her who was behind the company. So I guess there really is a market for this!?!

  17. Betti says:

    Interesting way to break up with ur beard. Thou it’s prob a good move for him to b taken seriously as a businessman.

  18. Dani says:

    Am I the only one who finds him attractive? He gives me a Jude Law vibe and I looooove me some Jude Law.

  19. Bridget says:

    Wasn’t this a company that only sold something like £200k last year? And not only is he seeking major investment capitol, but opening up an entire Asia office for something that hasn’t been that successful on its home turf? This is some sort of Ponzi scheme, right?

  20. Tessd says:

    Ella!! Whatever happened to Lupo btw? Is he still around?

  21. Izzy says:

    Maybe it’s because I’m still fully in vacation mode, but I read this headline and burst out laughing. Am still laughing. I don’t know why, but this story is ridiculously funny to me.

  22. anne_000 says:

    Because China can’t come up with their own CHEAPER version of printed marshmallows with their Asian resources already well in place, right?

    I saw on UK’s trust pilot site that there were complaints about the shipping and customer service. Wasn’t this what James said was under his supervision?

    One reason for three-month period might be because he wanted an extended vacation.

    Another might be that Donna wants to break up with him and so leaving her and making her announce it might make her look like she’s not grown enough to wait for her ‘hard-working man’ to come home from work.

    • MinnFinn says:

      Hong Kong is code for he’s looking for a cheap production facility on mainland China.

      I bet Pippa announces her engagement while he’s gone. Maybe they’ll quietly sell Middleton flat in London while he’s gone too.

      When he gets back he’ll need to launch a new marketing campaign. He should call it “Marshmallows Matter” [snark].

      • anne_000 says:

        @ MinnFinn

        ‘Marshmallows Matter!’ HA! 😛 Well, if his sister can co-opt the hashtag, why can’t James?

        You might be right about Pippa’s announcement and selling the flat. Wouldn’t it be funny if the only way to get James out of that flat was to send him on an errand to the other side of the world so that movers can come in and get his junk out of there.

  23. Crudites says:

    Boomf makes the wackiest silicon valley ideas sound sane.

  24. Snowpea says:

    I thought the header photo was Jude Law.

  25. svossie says:

    Not a bad idea to expand in Asia. The Chinese love cutesy stuff and if it’s edible, even better. Lived in China a long time and that is my informed input. Boom.

  26. Rainbow says:

    The only thing Ma ever bred well, are her cocker spaniels, they are adorable!