 |
Allen Hong: Highly regarded |
SOUTH KOREA. Allen Hong has joined Walkerhill Duty Free as Merchandising Director, effective 1 June.
The highly regarded executive was formerly Chief Buyer/Merchandising Team at Lotte Duty Free, where he left amid a number of senior management changes in late March.
Hong played an influential role in the rise of Lotte as an industry power player in recent years. He joins a long-established and respected Korean rival which has for many years offered a diverse, high-class offer from its three-storey, single-store location at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Walkerhill also has a recently revamped online duty free shopping offer.
Last year the company generated sales of US$137 million. This represented a +22% increase, buoyed by a surge in Chinese customers, many attracted by the adjacent casino which has long been part of the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill attraction.
Hong told The Moodie Report that Walkerhill Duty Free has ambitious expansion plans, including a doubling of space at its single store. “It has a big potential to lead the market development,” he said.
The retailer will boost the prestige of its store to be more in line with the hotel’s traditionally upscale client base. “At the same time it will reinforce the merchandising to catch up with the rapidly increasing number of Chinese customers, as well as their fast change in demand,” Hong said.
 |
Walkerhill Duty Free enjoys a distinctive location above Seoul at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill hotel in Gwangjin-gu |
[houseAd4]
