JAPAN. Kansai Airport Agency (KAA), a subsidiary of New Kansai International Airport Company (NKIAC), is to take direct control of five duty free stores in Kansai International Airport’s Terminal 1 from 1 April.
Japan Airport Terminal Company (JATCo) previously managed the five stores in the KIX Airside Avenue under a management contract.
“JATCo operated the five duty free shops under the management contract with KAA, and its contract expires at the end of March 2013,” confirmed Masao Orui, JATCo’s Director of Duty Free Business.
“JATCo will continue to operate a duty free shop at Terminal 2 under the management contract with KAA.”
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KAA takes over daily management of the five duty free stores from JATCo |
Moving the management contract inhouse reflects a trend among major Japanese airports to consolidate control of duty free after relying on professional management or partnerships.
In April 2012, Narita International Airport (NAA) duty free subsidiary NAA Retailing absorbed the previous joint ventures NAA & ANA Duty Free (NADF) and NAA & JAL-DFS (NJDS).
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In the liquor and tobacco sections of Duty Free Shop Kansai Airport |
Yet the airports are still relying on JATCo’s expertise for fashion and other speciliaty boutiques.
“JATCo continues to operate 10 brand boutiques at Kansai Airport,” Orui told The Moodie Report, despite what he described as an “insignificant” duty free business in T1 now.
Kansai International Airport reported a +19% recovery in total passenger numbers in calendar 2012, after Japan’s difficult year in 2011. Total retail sales grew +13% year on year.
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Les Cosme, Kansai’s duty free cosmetics and fragrances store airside at Kansai T1 |
