SINGAPORE. Changi Airport posted an all-time high concession sales turnover of S$2.3 billion (US$1.6 billion) in 2016, up +5% year-on-year.
The record result (which includes food & beverage sales and other services) was buoyed by the airport’s annual flagship campaign (Singapore’s biggest retail promotion), ‘Be a Changi Millionaire*’, which reached a dramatic climax at the airport this afternoon (Sunday).
There, a million-dollar dream came true for Jakarta-based Ade Iskandar Roni as he beat seven other finalists to emerge as the Grand Draw winner of the promotion held at Terminal 3.
“We are pleased to achieve yet another all-time high for concession sales, which helps to keep Changi Airport’s aeronautical charges competitive”– Changi Airport Group Executive Vice President of Commercial Lim Peck Hoon
The 39 year-old walked away with S$1 million (US$700,000) in cash. During a visit to Changi in October 2016 he had qualified for the draw by purchasing an adidas t-shirt for a friend for S$50 (US$35) – the lowest-priced purchase among the eight finalists, and also the minimum spend required to participate in the draw.
Today the winner had to “out-luck” rivals from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the UAE in the hour-long finale, played out in front of a 300-strong live audience.
The eight finalists went head-to-head in the first three game rounds, where they raced to board their flights in games simulating a departing passenger’s journey through Changi. After checking in via Changi’s Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) kiosk by completing a puzzle, they went on to test their luck in picking the right boarding gate on Changi’s Solari (flight departures) board, before five finalists moved on to the third round of shopping and dining.
[Click on the icon to watch the brilliant Changi Airport promotional video for the competition]
This round saw each finalist picking two items and matching the total cost of their selections to the lucky price that was revealed at the start of the game. Three finalists were eliminated.
The competition came down to the final two, India’s Animesh Singh and Ade Iskandar. The latter won the big prize by successfully fitting a giant travel adaptor into the socket on the podium after a nerve-racking five attempts.
The winner commented: “I’m still shocked, nervous and in disbelief, but incredibly happy. I can’t imagine how much money a million Singapore dollars will look like, how big a stack it will be.”
When asked how he would spend his windfall, Roni replied, “I want to bring my entire extended family to the Holy Mecca for Umrah [pilgrimage] first. I haven’t thought about what else to do with the money, but I hope to buy a car for my family too.”
CHINESE PASSENGERS GENERATE NEARLY A THIRD OF SALES
Travellers from China, Singapore and Indonesia were the top spenders at Changi last year, with Chinese nationals accounting for an astounding 30% of total sales in 2016.
Perfumes and cosmetics, and liquor and tobacco continued to be the two most popular product categories, followed by luxury goods, electronics and gadgets, and chocolates and candies.
CAG noted that in addition to anchor promotions such as ‘Be a Changi Millionaire’, it is constantly seeking to enhance the retail mix and consumer experience. Collectible Changi Gift Cards were introduced for the year-end festive season, where CAG matched 5% of the total sale proceeds as a donation to its main beneficiary, NorthLight School [ an acclaimed local secondary school for students with difficulties handling the mainstream educational curriculum].
CAG Executive Vice President of Commercial Lim Peck Hoon said, “We congratulate Ade Iskandar, our seventh Changi Millionaire and thank our passengers for journeying and shopping with us the past year. We are pleased to achieve yet another all-time high for concession sales, which helps to keep Changi Airport’s aeronautical charges competitive.
“At Changi, the spirit of continual innovation underpins our retail strategy and drives many of our new ideas and developments – the opening of the second DFS Wines & Spirits Duplex at Terminal 2 that boasts the popular The Whisky House and the engaging Pokémon at Changi year-end celebrations are just two examples. We will continue to make shopping at Changi a fun and rewarding experience for all our travellers.”
ABOUT ‘BE A CHANGI MILLIONAIRE’
To participate in the Millionaire Draw, passengers and airport visitors alike needed to spend a minimum S$50 in a single receipt on shopping or dining at Changi Airport. The number of winning chances increased exponentially with the amount spent – a S$500 (US$350) spend rewarded the shopper with 100 chances.
The competition, now in its seventh year, attracted close to 1.2 million lucky draw entries from 225 nationalities. It ran from 4 May to 31 October 2016. The top three groups hailed from Singapore, China and Indonesia.
For the first time this year, an additional finalist was picked from Platinum members of the Changi Rewards loyalty programme, as well as one from iShopChangi online shoppers. Changi Rewards Platinum card members and travellers who shopped on iShopChangi received double the chances of winning.
Apart from Roni, the other finalists won S$5,000 (US$3,500) in cash. All enjoyed a three-night hotel stay in Singapore, with return airfare provided for non-Singapore residents.
The eighth run of the ‘Be a Changi Millionaire’ will kick off in May 2017.
