SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free has postponed the opening of its ambitious downtown duty free developments in Da Nang, Vietnam and Sydney, Australia until the COVID-19 crisis eases but says it remains committed to the projects.
“Despite the difficulties amid the pandemic, Lotte Duty Free has a strong will to open the new stores,” a Lotte Duty Free spokesman told The Moodie Davitt Report.
“We will continue to watch how the pandemic unfolds in each country and decide when to open.”
Lotte Duty Free was set to open its Sydney store at 55 Market Street in May 2021. The site, opposite the prime Pitt Street Mall shopping precinct and close to the Queen Victoria Building, the State Theatre, and Hyde Park, is owned by Mirvac.
The Korean retailer was also poised to unveil its Da Nang store in 2021, having hosted a K-pop concert last August to promote the opening. But the global pandemic and its impact on the travel market has delayed the inauguration for an unspecified period.
When opened, the Da Nang store will be Lotte’s fourth in Vietnam – after Da Nang International Airport in May 2017, Cam Ranh International Airport in June 2018 and Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport in July 2019.
