Images of the Day: Lotte Duty Free turns on the wow (and WOWS) factor at Changi Airport

Our regular feature, brought to you in association with Strange Nature gin from New Zealand, celebrates memorable scenes, moments, launches and campaigns related to the global aviation and travel retail sphere.

SINGAPORE. Today’s photo selection comes from Changi Airport, where The Moodie Davitt Report was on location earlier this week to view Lotte Duty Free’s impressively transformed wines & spirits store at Terminal 2.

T2 reopened fully on 1 November.

The store represents a big step-up in quality for the Korean travel retailer at the Singaporean gateway. The two-level store offers a beguiling blend of state of the art technology, high-impact digital, a rich and beautiful cultural component and the opportunity to taste and buy some outstanding spirits on the top floor.

Martin Moodie meets Lotte Duty Free Singapore Managing Director Jeff Soongyu Jeong (right) and Lotte Duty Free Singapore Head of Operations Casey Lim (left) at Changi Airport

As reported, the two-level Lotte Duty Free is notable for its avant-garde tech innovations which invite passengers to indulge their senses of sight, sound, smell and touch in an immersive environment.

Culturally, the store is highlighted by the Forest of Li Bai (also known as the Exceptional Liquor Tasting Lounge), inspired by the revered Tang Dynasty poet, Li Bai. The atmosphere, created by dramatic LED ceiling animations, reinterprets the beauty of Singapore’s Botanical Garden.

An LED Media Ring featuring some stunning digital imagery seeks to evoke Li Bai’s journey through a mystical lake, where he was uncertain if the moon lay within his wine cup or the water.

This stands 2m high and 9m in diameter. An image of whales swimming through the sea symbolises luck to every visitor to the lounge space.

Entering the beautifully evocative Forest of Li Bai on the upper level

Some outstanding spirits are offered on the top floor

A spirits dispenser offers an entry point to the world of 18 high-end spirits (single malt and blended whisky and Cognac) curated by Lotte Duty Free.

Casey Lim highlights the opportunity to sample the new travel-retail exclusive Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire. The ultra-premium expression made its global debut with Lotte Duty Free and Changi Airport Group in September.
A consumer learns about the new Johnnie Walker line before sampling

The WOWS factor: The top floor also features a range of rare and ultra-premium spirits from the second edition of the exclusive World of Wines and Spirits (WOWS) Signature Event, jointly hosted by Lotte Duty Free and Changi Airport Group

The Lotte Duty Free VIP Room offers select customers the opportunity to sample fine wines & spirits in a serene atmosphere
Martin Moodie samples a Lotte Singa Sling (pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, Tanqueray gin, Cointreau) from Toni, the robotic bartender created by Makr Shakr, the premier producer of robotic bartenders

Another popular attraction is the Smart Mirror, which offers shoppers the chance to snap a selfie with favourite K-pop artists or pose as a cover model for the Lotte Duty Free magazine. ✈

Martin Moodie meets K-pop superstar Aespa (left) and makes the cover of the LDF magazine (right)

The Singapore gateway is renowned for carrying plenty of Changi-first or Changi-exclusive products

IMAGES FROM OUR EARLIER REPORT

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