SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free says it will bid to renew its duty free concession at Gimpo International Airport, Seoul, which expires on 12 May.
As revealed by The Moodie Report, Korea Airports Corporation plans to tender Gimpo’s two duty free concessions – currently run by Lotte Duty Free (liquor & tobacco) and The Shilla Duty Free (fragrances & cosmetics) – early this year.
Once confirmation of the tender and timeline has been obtained from Korea Customs Service, a February or March schedule for the tender is probable.
Lotte Duty Free has a 433sq m store at Gimpo International.
Gimpo International Airport has topped the 15-25 million passengers category in Airport Council International’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) passenger satisfaction survey for five consecutive years.
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Buoyed by burgeoning Chinese tourism, Gimpo International has experienced strong passenger traffic in recent years (outside 2015’s MERS crisis period) |
Gimpo will be one of two important duty free tenders called by Korea Airports Corporation in early 2016. As revealed by The Moodie Report, Gimhae Airport will call for offers soon to find a replacement retailer for Shinsegae Duty Free, which in December announced an early withdrawal from its contract to concentrate on its downtown business in Busan, Korea’s second city.
As reported, Shinsegae (New World Chosun Hotel) won the main five-year duty free contract for Gimhae, the gateway to Busan, in July 2013.
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Shinsegae’s premature departure has opened the door at Busan Gimhae Airport for a new duty free retailer |
