SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free today hosted an inauguration ceremony following the 31 May reopening of its Gimhae International Airport store in Busan following a three-month refurbishment.
The 992sq m store is the exclusive perfumes & cosmetics offer at the airport (rival Dufry Thomas Julie sells liquor & tobacco).
The new-look store incorporates two design concepts, one focused on Lotte Duty Free’s revival in what it described as the “reopening era”, the other showcasing the history of Gimhae International Airport, gateway to the country’s second city.
In addition, the retailer has boosted penetration by placing key brands such as Chanel, Estée Lauder and popular Korean ginseng CheongKwanJang at the front of the store.
Premium perfumes including Le Labo, Maison Margiela, and Penhaligon’s, which Lotte Duty Free noted are very popular among consumers in their 20s and 30s, have been added. Korean cosmetics such as CNP Laboratory and Dr. Jart+ are also new to the offer.
The eyewear category, which includes labels such as Bottega Veneta and Mulberry, has also been strengthened to feature 120 brands.
To mark the reopening Lotte Duty Free is offering a range of consumer incentives. For example, mask packs are being given to the first 500 customers to spend more than US$50.
Tickets to Brick Campus Busan – the world’s first brick art theme park – and Yosigo Photo Exhibition (featuring the work of Spanish photographer and graphic designer José Javier Serrano) are also being offered according to the level of spend.
Discounts of KRW20,000 (US$16) are being offered for purchases over US$400 on premium cosmetics such as La Mer and La Prairie.
Lotte Duty Free Gimhae Airport Manager Park Eun-ji said, “We have completed the renewal work in line with the recovery of travel demand and started to welcome customers in earnest.”
International departures from the airport reached some 1.27 million for the five months to May, an increase of around 140 times year-on-year. That represents about 56% of pre-pandemic levels. ✈
