CANADA. Border store retailer Peace Arch Duty Free has completed the first phase of a C$6.5 million (US$4.6 million) renovation.
The outdoor space at the location now includes new water features, a children’s playground and landscaped gardens.
The company has begun the next phase of the project with interior renovations, which are expected to be completed later this year.
Peace Arch Duty Free is located at British Columbia’s busiest land border crossing between Vancouver and Seattle, where around 4,800 vehicles cross daily.
Peace Arch Duty Free President Peter Raju said business grew in the last quarter, with cosmetics in particular driven by the introduction of Korean skincare and fragrances from Dubai.
These product lines have quickly become the store’s top-selling items, said Peace Arch Duty Free, rivalling sales of established premium brands.
The company also noted increased sales in its electronics and menswear fashion departments.
As part of the next phase of its retail expansion, Peace Arch Duty Free plans to introduce an extended menswear collection, including sport shirts, polo shirts, socks, belts, underwear and sandals.
The company said it is now operating with full staffing levels and extended operating hours.
The development of the store comes against the backdrop of a challenging period for Canadian border duty free, with a sharp and sustained decline in Canada–US cross-border travel amid tariffs and political tensions between the countries.
Peace Arch Duty Free said it has recently received “a substantial increase in American customers while Canadian traveller traffic has remained relatively stagnant”.
The store’s customer base has also become increasingly diverse, it added, with growing numbers of Asian travellers, notably from South Asia, Vietnam and Philippines, alongside more South American travellers.
