CHINA. It is with profound regret that we report the passing of Li Gang, Chairman of China Tourism Group Duty Free Corp (CTG), the parent company of the world’s number one travel retailer China Duty Free Group (CDFG).
In a statement today, CTG announced with “deep sadness” Li’s death on 14 October following a brief illness. He was 56 years of age.
“Since Mr Li Gang became the Chairman and Legal Representative of the company, he had been dedicated to his duties and responsibilities, and had made great efforts to develop the group’s duty free business,” CTG commented.
“He has devoted great enthusiasm to the development of the duty free business and has made an outstanding contribution to the company’s standardised operation and high-quality development.
“The Board of Directors would like to express its high esteem to Mr Li Gang for his efforts and contributions during his tenure of office and the Directors, Supervisors, senior management and all the staff express their sorrow… and express their deepest condolences on Mr Li Gang’s passing.”
CTG said that the company’s leadership, management and employees will continue to be committed to its sustainable and healthy development.
Martin Moodie writes: This is a terribly sad day for CTG and CDFG and for the travel retail community. Li Gang made a remarkable contribution to both China’s tourism and travel retail sectors and CDFG’s astonishing rise over recent years to become the world’s number one travel retailer.
I first met him at the China Travel Retail Summit in Beijing in 2002, a pioneering event organised by CDFG and King Power Group (HK) as China Power in association with my then-fledgling company. I have met Li Gang many times at subsequent industry occasions down the years and have always been struck by his steely determination and sense of mission.
The Beijing event was held at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square with a Gala Dinner hosted under the stars at the Great Wall of China. No-one who was there will ever forget it. Li Gang played a key role in its creation, knowing that it would lay down a marker for the group’s emergence as a travel retail superforce.
The subsequent years have borne out that vision and his related determination to see CTG and CDFG flourish as an integral part of China’s related tourism and travel retail sectors.
By the time of a January 2008 conference when he was serving as CDFG President, Li Gang was reporting that CDFG had acheived annual sales of RMB2.5 billion (then US$350 million), impressive growth of +28.7% year-on-year but still well outside The Moodie Davitt Report’s sector benchmark annual Top 20 Travel Retailer rankings.
By 2020 the group would be world number one, a position it has consolidated since, with CTG reporting turnover of RMB54.4 billion 2022, or €7,357 million at 31 December exchange rates, a +2,076% increase in 15 years. The transformation during those years has been extraordinary by any sector benchmark and Li Gang has been integral to it.
In particular, he worked tirelessly with the Chinese government in crafting supportive policies to accelerate the duty free industry’s development. The subsequent emergence of offshore duty free shopping and airport arrivals stores are two prime examples of his influence.
Along with many in the travel retail community, I last saw Li Gang just one month ago during Sunrise Duty Free’s 24th anniversary celebrations in Shanghai.
On that occasion he spoke warmly and graciously about the impressive rise of Sunrise Duty Free (now majority owned by CTG) and paid rich tribute to Sunrise Duty Free General Manager Founder and General Manager Fengyi Zhang.
“Thanks to Madam Zhang’s vision, China Duty Free Group has successfully achieved a strong alliance with Sunrise Duty Free, jointly promoting the vigorous development of China’s duty free industry, helping China Duty Free Group achieve first place among the world’s travel retail operators,” he said.
For this outstanding contributor to our industry and to his company and country to be taken so soon afterwards at such a young age is a huge loss.
The Moodie Davitt Report expresses our utmost sorrow and sends our deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. ✈
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