HONG KONG. Dufry has won the five-year duty free concession for stores at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, which serves the High Speed Rail link between Hong Kong and China.
The company hailed it as “a significant win” as it seeks to develop more business in Asia. The contract also marks “a milestone in its strategy to expand into additional and alternative channels other than airport retail”, added Dufry.
The offer will include a departures shop covering 1,200sq m and an arrivals shop of 300sq m. Dufry said it was focused “on delivering state-of-the-art flagship stores that showcase its expertise and are tailored to meet the needs of Chinese and Hong Kong travellers”. The stores will include the core categories of beauty, liquor & tobacco, confectionery, fashion and also health and wellbeing, a vital category in the Asian market.
Dufry Divisional CEO for Asia, Middle East, Australia and Eastern Europe Andrea Belardini said: “The development of this new railway station is a major project and we are delighted that we have been awarded with the contract which runs for five years. The duty free experience that we are set to deliver will represent another important milestone in our drive to expand in the region and a great opportunity to showcase Dufry’s capabilities in the highly competitive market of Hong Kong. We look forward to working closely with the High Speed Rail team to develop a world-class store that reflects the vision they have for this prestigious new station.”
As reported when MTR Corporation issued the tender via The Moodie Davitt Report last August, the Hong Kong section of the MTR Express Rail Link runs from the West Kowloon Station to the Shenzhen/Hong Kong boundary, where it connects with the Mainland section of the line. West Kowloon Station has a floor area of around 400,000sq m, making it one of the largest underground High Speed Rail stations in the world.
The project was 99% complete in February, according to MTR. The target opening date of the Express Rail Link is the third quarter of 2018 and trial operations are expected to begin in the second quarter.
The MTR Express Rail Link is part of China’s strategic national express rail network. The High Speed Rail trains will be named ‘Vibrant Express’, MTR confirmed in recent days.
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