Prologue: In a much-anticipated event, particularly in light of recent travel retail industry developments, the 2026 China Duty Free Group Global Partners Meeting was held in Shanghai on 27 March.
Themed ‘Grow Beyond’ the gathering attracted a powerful and diverse audience of industry leaders, government representatives, brand owners, partners across the entire industry chain, academics and industry experts, including The Moodie Davitt Report (represented by Chief China Representative Zhang Yimei) from the international travel retail media.
Click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2 of our extensive report. Below we bring you further news of the two-day ‘China Duty Free Member Carnival’, which took place on 28-29 March.
The title ‘Brimming with the World’s Best’ summed up the heady and ambitious spirit of the cdf Member Carnival held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center on 28-29 March.
The two-day event serves as an annual shopping gala, offering more than 13,000 registered members an immersive experience that blends premier brand showcases with exclusive membership rewards.
CDFG Vice President Michelle Sun delivered an address in which she noted that cdf membership has grown to over 56 million.
She described the 2026 cdf Member Carnival as a warm, meaningful journey to express gratitude and spread delight to its members, as well as an important platform to deepen collaboration and create shared value with brand partners.
Sun explained the platform would help make the commitment to ‘Doing Business in Good Faith and Providing Quality Services’ more visible and trusted by a wider audience.
cdf Lifestyle Ambassador and renowned actress Gulnazar shared her take on quality lifestyle. She described cdf as a synonym for premium quality, trust and a sense of occasion.
Whether travelling or in everyday life, she said, walking into cdf makes her feel like she is treating herself a little better.
The 2026 edition brought together more than 60 international luxury brands and curated homegrown Chinese brands.
It featured more than 10,000 premium products across categories including beauty and personal care, watches and jewellery, spirits & wine, electronics, and trendy toys and collectibles.
Collectively they offered a one-stop shopping experience designed to meet the diverse needs of consumers, CDFG said.
The event featured five themed experiential zones:
- The Gateway to Discovery welcomed visitors with a floral path to a fantastic journey.
- The Shanghai Chess Wonderland unfolded aesthetic inspiration within a compact space.
- The Journey of Aromas celebrated the creation and heritage of fine wines and spirits.
- Cheers to You offered a curated selection of crafted cocktail experiences.
- Flowers along the Way offered a dreamy floral wonderland that immersed visitors in a sea of spring blossoms.
CDFG also brought its three ecommerce platforms together on-site, creating a seamless digital shopping experience that brought a curated selection of premium products to users’ fingertips, offering an immersive experience across both online and offline channels.
To thank cdf members for their continued support and trust, this year’s carnival offered a rich variety of interactive experiences, including new product debuts, newly designed exhibition booths, cultural activities highlighting countries of origin, intangible cultural heritage workshops and fun games.
A series of member salons were held concurrently, covering a wide range of topics, embracing wellness and health, spirits & wine tastings, personal care, beauty and fragrance, and cultural discovery.
The spirits & wine category was a particular highlight. Gérard Bertrand, renowned as the ‘Wine King of Southern France’, personally presented the brand’s flagship vintages and new global exclusives at cdf (see below for full details).
Experts from Edrington and Diageo led in-depth tasting sessions of Highland Park and Mortlach single malt whiskies, unlocking the secrets of their distinctive flavors.
In beauty and fragrance, brands such as Make Up For Ever, L’Occitane, La Prairie and Helena Rubinstein offered sessions on the latest makeup trends and techniques and one-on-one bespoke fragrance experiences.
In the China Chic section, renowned artist Zhu Bingren presented a workshop on the century-old intangible cultural heritage of copper artistry, sharing the stories of five generations of copper craftsmen.
In the food and wellness section, United Health Industry and Schiff invited senior health experts to lead sessions on liver care and overall health management in spring.
Seamlessly blending expert knowledge, hands-on techniques, and unique brand stories, the salons offered attendees an immersive experience that was both informative and personally resonant, CDFG said.
Fine wines and spirits converge
The 2026 cdf Member Carnival integrated fine wines and spirits tasting, cultural experiences and consumer touchpoints. Through a dedicated whisky bar, a signature whisky programme, and the global debut of premium French wines, the event offered consumers an immersive experience and created what CDFG dubbed “a new urban destination for a light, enjoyable drinking experience”.
The cdf Whisky Bar featured 102 whiskies from 40 brands, including several cdf-exclusive items. Drawing inspiration from the Whisky Museum at cdf Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex, the bar was designed to offer whisky enthusiasts and cdf members an exclusive, immersive whisky experience destination.
In one of the highlights of the carnival, the third stop of CDFG’s inaugural whisky programme, Cheers to You, took centre stage in Shanghai.
The project brought together globally renowned whisky selections sourced directly from brands and backed by the authenticity guarantee of centrally administered state-owned enterprise China Tourism Group.
Celebrated TV host Li Sisi was invited to serve as the cdf Whisky Ambassador and hosted a special livestreaming session.
Leading spirits groups William Grant & Sons, Bacardi and Diageo teamed up with CDFG for the Cheers to You live-streaming gala. Offering exclusive deals and fan-exclusive benefits, the event marked the start of a major whisky shopping carnival, CDFG said.
On the opening day of the event, famed French winemaker Gérard Bertrand partnered with CDFG for the global premiere of the Cote des Roses Brut rosé sparkling wine and the La Grande Bleue dry white wine series.
The launch also marked the high-profile debut of the French Flair collection – the first time the winemaker has ventured beyond Southern France to curate selections from other renowned French wine-producing regions.
Sourced from the complementary terroirs of Limoux and the Cévennes Mountains, the Cote des Roses Brut rosé sparkling wine features a particularly aromatic signature while the La Grande Bleue range captures the Mediterranean essence, making it an excellent pairing for seafood.
CDFG said the 2026 cdf Member Carnival serves as a vivid demonstration of the company’s commitment to ‘Doing Business in Good Faith and Providing Quality Services’ while delivering on its pledge of product authenticity.
The event also serves as an important platform for rewarding the vast cdf membership and sharing the brand’s warmth, CDFG added.
Moving forward under the leadership of its parent company CTG, CDFG pledged to align its strategy with the 15th Five-Year Plan to “see that new demand drives new supply”.
Specifically, CDFG promised to remain committed to optimising product offerings, improving service standards, expanding global reach, and promoting the deep integration of culture, commerce, sports, tourism and wellness.
“Meanwhile, through the development of a new consumption model defined by scarcity, experience and cultural richness, CDFG aims to bring more delight and surprise to cdf members, while injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of the travel retail industry,” the company concluded. ✈
