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(Left to right): Ms Lee Boo-Jin, CEO and President, Hotel Shilla; Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO, Louis Vuitton; Lee Chae-Wook, CEO, Incheon International Airport; and Jean-Baptiste Debains, President, Louis Vuitton Asia Pacific |
SOUTH KOREA. In arguably the biggest day in South Korea’s travel retail history, Louis Vuitton today opened its first-ever airport store, in association with The Shilla Duty Free at Incheon International Airport.
 Vuitton transports travellers to a different era |
| This may be one of the hottest contemporary brands on the planet but the store is a throwback to yesteryear, to a golden age when travellers thought, to quote the great American travel writer Paul Theroux, “˜the journey’s the thing’. |
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Louis Vuitton, the world’s leading luxury brand, said the opening was “the recognition of the outstanding quality that Incheon Airport has shown throughout the years”.
The Moodie Report, the sole representative from the travel retail media, joined with journalists from Korea, China and Japan at today’s opening ceremony.
The ribbon-cutting was conducted by Ms Lee Boo-Jin, CEO and President, Hotel Shilla; Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO, Louis Vuitton; Lee Chae-Wook, CEO, Incheon International Airport; and Jean-Baptiste Debains, President, Louis Vuitton Asia Pacific.
Later, The Moodie Report joined The South China Post, Global Traveller and Sing Tao Newspaper Group in a select interview with Carcelle and Debains. That interview, embargoed until 13 September, will feature in this week’s edition of The Moodie Report e-Zine, and explores why Louis Vuitton finally decided to take the plunge into airport retailing. It makes for fascinating reading.
The 550sq m Incheon store is dedicated to Louis Vuitton’s passion for travel. It features leathergoods, women’s and men’s shoes, watches, belts, ties, textiles, fashion jewellery, sunglasses, watches and other accessories.
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These pictures capture the spectacular shop frontage of the new store |
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The Shilla Duty Free Executive Vice President, Head of Duty Free Division Jason Cha told The Moodie Report: “I am very proud today but this is all about Louis Vuitton and Incheon International Airport – we are just the facilitator of this collaboration and I’m very happy to do that.
“A lot of Chinese travellers come to Korea”¦ Incheon has around 45 direct flights to Chinese cities. So it’s a window for Mainland China for Louis Vuitton’s business.”
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The exquisite entrance area is deliberately free of product but replete with imagery in order to alleviate travellers’ stress |
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To future success: Ms Lee Boo-Jin, CEO and President, Hotel Shilla; Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO, Louis Vuitton; Lee Chae-Wook, CEO, Incheon International Airport; and Jean-Baptiste Debains, President, Louis Vuitton Asia Pacific toast the beginning of an important new partnership as Louis Vuitton’s first airport store opens for business |
Incheon International Airport Corporation Lee Chae-Wook said: “We are celebrating the first Louis Vuitton airport store in the world. I’m sure that this shop will be very successful… and that a lot of Chinese, Japanese and worldwide passengers will come because of this shop.”
Look out for our full report later this week on The Moodie Report.com and The Moodie Report e-Zine.
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Space, elegance and understatement characterise the Incheon store |
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Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO, Louis Vuitton: Look out for our exclusive interview with him later in the week | |
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