CHINA. China Duty Free Group has celebrated the opening of its revamped Dalian downtown pre-departure duty-free shop. It is located on the first floor of Xinxing Xinghai Center, 2km from Xinghai Square in the heart of the city.
The new-look store is a response to the government’s extension to the Chinese travel retail ecosystem announced in August and implemented progressively over a three-month period from 1 October. This allows pre-departure shopping (with airport pick-up) from such shops for foreign and Chinese travellers.
The store offers a range of products ranging from beauty & fragrances to watches & jewellery, sunglasses, wines & spirits, confectionery & food.
CDFG said it is “leveraging our channel advantages to give national fashion brands and international brands the opportunity to display on the same stage”.
The travel retailer noted that it has been “deeply involved” in the duty-free business in Dalian from the 1980s, supplying products to airport and off-airport stores as well as establishing a distribution and logistics centre to support the business in North and Northwest China.
CDFG said: “The smooth opening of the duty-free shop not only marks the latest achievement of the downtown duty-free shop policy, but also opens a new chapter in regional consumption upgrades.
“Driven by the new tax-free policy, China Duty Free Group will be driven by innovation and be service-centric, continue to promote the high-quality development of the duty-free industry in Dalian and Liaoning Province, and provide outbound tourists with a world-class shopping experience.”
Dalian represents a key economic and tourism location on the northeast coast of China. ✈
