SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free today celebrated the grand opening of its Jeju International Airport store.
The event, held in the departure hall on the 3rd floor of the international terminal, was graced by Lotte Duty Free CEO Kim Ju-nam; Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Vice Governor for Political Affairs Kim Hee-hyun; Korea Airports Corporation Jeju Airport Director Son Jong-ha; Jeju Customs Director Kim Gyu-jin; and Jeju Tourism Association General Manager Kim Nam-jin.
As reported in January, Lotte Duty Free secured the rights to operate the departures duty free retail concession at Jeju International Airport across 545sq m of space. The company was awarded a contract of up to ten years (five initial years with a five-year extension option), which began on 1 March. This covers the sale of all duty free goods from beauty to liquor to fashion & accessories, the retailer said.
The travel retailer saw sales at Lotte Duty Free Jeju Airport branch surge by about +385% in September compared to March as the number of international visitors increased, particularly those from Mainland China and Taiwan.
The Lotte Duty Free Jeju Airport store features a sustainable design concept that reflects the harmony between the brand’s future-driven technology and the natural characteristics of Jeju Island.
Global brands that are highly popular with domestic and foreign travellers are on offer at the store. These include La Mer, SK-II and CheongKwanJang ginseng.
Luxury coffee brand Bacha Coffee has also opened a Lotte Duty Free Jeju offer, its first offline store in South Korea. Local coffee Jeju Basalt and organic jam brand Slow Jam will be introduced at the store.
Lotte Duty Free CEO Kim Ju-nam said: “The grand opening of this Jeju Airport branch symbolises the restart of free overseas travel. Lotte Duty Free will strive to provide a world-class shopping environment to foreign customers visiting Jeju, Korea’s representative tourist destination.”
To celebrate the opening of the Jeju Airport store, Lotte Duty Free has launched promotional discounts of up to -20% on popular cosmetics and perfume brands including Estée Lauder and Jo Malone. Shoppers can also get -15% off on all liquor products, as well as a Lotte Duty Free membership upgrade.
Showing encouraging signs of travel rebound, Jeju Airport has registered 77,000 international outbound passengers in August, recovering to about 60% of the 2019 level, the retailer noted.
Lotte Duty Free Jeju Airport is also expanding its brand portfolio to capture the younger generation of travellers. New additions to its line-up of brands include Who.A.U, Chasin Rabbits, Zanmang Loopy and Teenieping.
The retailer said it plans to launch more discounts and promotional events linking the Jeju downtown store branch and the Jeju Airport branch. ✈
