CHINA. China Duty Free Group has confirmed to suppliers and to local media that it is to open its much-anticipated Haitang Bay Shopping Complex on a trial basis on 1 September – the world’s largest duty free shopping centre.
The opening will physically and financially transform the travel retail sector on the resort island of Hainan. One leading luxury fashion brand executive who visited the new operation this month told The Moodie Report: “It’s incredible, amazing”¦ built on an unbelievable scale and of top quality.”
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Respected Chinese website Ecns.cn captures the extraordinary scale and grandeur of the project in a leading article today |
At the TFWA Asia Pacific show in May. China Duty Free Group (CDFG) Deputy General Manager Zhao Feng delivered a superbly informative insight into the Haitang Bay project, noting that the complex, which includes around 70,000sq m of duty free space, will also incorporate a strong duty paid, food & beverage and entertainment offer.
“Haitang Bay will be a tourist destination [in its own right],” Ms Feng commented.
“We anticipate sales that are 30-50% higher than our Sanya downtown duty free store,” Ms Feng told delegates.
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CDFG Deputy General Manager Zhao Feng: “Haitang Bay will be a tourist destination [in its own right]” – Photo courtesy of TFWA |
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CDFG’s Haitang Bay International Shopping Complex |
The Sanya store has seen turnover grow significantly in the past three years, with average daily sales of six million yuan. Consumers aged 26-35 currently account for 40% of the total sales volumes. Female consumers outnumber males, but the latter accounts for a bigger proportion of sales, thanks to a higher per capita spend.
| //www.youtube.com/embed/gi_RU4JOQpg |
Click to view CDFG’s Haitang Bay International Shopping Complex on YouTube |
More to follow, including the latest from CDFG.
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The September opening is a testament to the incredible progress that has been made since CDFG’s Vendors’ conference, where delegates (including The Moodie Report) visited what was then a giant construction site |
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Shaping a new reality: Even back in March 2012, the enormity of the Haitang Bay complex was apparent. The two buildings are linked by a roof shaped like a begonia flower. |
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The new complex will eventually replace CDFG’s Sanya downtown duty free store, where extraordinary levels of business have been generated. Incredibly, these images of the perfumes & cosmetics department were taken at an off-peak time and not on one of the retailer’s busiest days. |
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