CHINA. The Moodie Davitt Report’s weekly WeChat Official Account continues to develop its presence in the key China travel retail market.
The title, published every Monday, is published under the direction of Penelope Zhou, our Hong Kong-based Chinese Editor, and company Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie, also based in Hong Kong.
The Moodie Davitt Report is the only international travel retail media title to offer a WeChat platform. Moodie Davitt WeChat now has 1,232 followers, excellent and growing penetration in a niche sector and a complement to the strong Chinese readership of our English language platform.
For editorial or native content enquiries please contact Publisher Irene Revilla at Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com.
Here are some highlights of the past two editions.
CDFG holds inaugural fashion season event
China Duty Free Group (CDFG) is going big into the fashion and accessories category, as the retailer celebrated the culmination of its first-ever fashion season event on 31 July.
The month-long high-profile campaign, which saw extended brand cooperation across the growing fashion sector, was themed ‘Your Exclusive Summer Fashion Pass’. The event featured an impressive line-up of 1,000 products from 20 highly supportive fashion brands, including Coach, MCM, Tory Burch and others.
To add allure, the event was held simultaneously within CDFG stores at the Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, Haikou Meilan International Airport and Haikou Riyue Square to create a vibrant fashion carnival atmosphere.
The launch of CDFG’s first fashion season reflects the company’s deepening cooperation with brands and a new push into the field of fashion and luxury boutiques.
CDFG opens Thom Browne and refreshed Ferragamo boutiques in Sanya
In a further push for the luxury and fashion category, CDFG debuted New York-based luxury fashion label Thom Browne to the Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haitang Bay, Hainan.
Thom Browne, founded by the American designer of the same name in 2001, has been 85% owned by Italian luxury fashion brand Ermenegildo Zegna since August 2018. By 2021, the brand is expected to have 78 directly-operated flagship stores in major cities such as New York, London, Milan, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul.
Another renowned Italian luxury fashion brand, Salvatore Ferragamo — a traditionally strong partner for CDFG — has also just opened a newly upgraded store at the acclaimed Haitang Bay complex.
CDFG hosts three beauty blockbusters from La Prairie, Maison Martin Margiela and Fresh
There were beauty breakthroughs aplenty in the Hainan offshore duty free market over recent weeks.
One of our major stories featured Swiss prestige skincare brand La Prairie has partnered with China Duty Free Group (CDFG) to host the brand’s first-ever VIP event in Hainan to celebrate the Skin Caviar Liquid Lift.
The event, which was hosted at The Sanya EDITION from 22 to 25 July, welcomed 120 VIP clients who were transported via luxury limousine for the elegant unveiling.
To celebrate the occasion, La Prairie took over the EDITION villa and transformed it into an engaging and immersive La Prairie Skin Caviar World. VIP clients learned more about the caviar science behind the serum and the efficacy that underpins its potent formula.
As with all major La Prairie launches, the event featured a striking artistic collaboration, this time with French visual artist Cyril Lancelin. His sculptural piece ‘96 Spheres’ was commissioned by La Prairie and presented at the VIP event.
At the neighbouring Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, CDFG partnered with L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific to host a pop-up store devoted to Maison Margiela fragrances
The pop-up, which opened on 1 July and ran for one month, was inspired by the Maisons Replica line, first introduced in 2012, and by best-selling fragrance Sailing Day. A spectacular inauguration took place inside the CDFG event atrium at the helm of a custom-made ‘Replica’ sailboat in the presence of Maison Margiela Brand Ambassador for China, singer and actress Chris Lee.
The store offered visitors a series of immersive experiences. Among the highlights was an exclusive AR sensory fragrance room, which took viewers on a 360-degree ‘replicated memory journey’ while discovering their favourite Replica fragrances in the discovery bar or via the Maison Margiela online fragrance finder.
The striking activation shined the spotlight on the limited-edition Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence, with packaging designed by renowned Chinese graffiti artist Edison Zhang.
The packaging reflects Fresh’s values of hope, optimism and nature while portraying the five natural elements: gold, wood, water, fire and earth. The pop-up’s design lifts from the colourful, graffiti-inspired packaging of the Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence.
The pop-up was inaugurated with an official opening ceremony attended by VIPs from Fresh and CDFG and Chinese actor Joseph Zeng, who shared his Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence skincare routine with fans.
Hennessy, Foreo and DFS launch major digital and omnichannel campaigns
There was plenty of digital buzz on this week’s WeChat recap as well. TripurX teamed up with Hennessy to launch an interactive WeChat Mini Programme that celebrates the cognac house’s 150th anniversary expression. The limited edition X.O. Cognac features a striking bottle and decanter designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.
The Hennessy x TripurX digital brand boutique, which was launched in July and will run until 31 August, features a dynamic augmented reality replica of Hennessy’s flagship boutique at the CDF Mall. The e-boutique offers six clickable zones that invites users to discover the Frank Gehry limited edition bottle, select a custom anniversary greeting, or book a mixology masterclass at either the CDF Mall in Haitang Bay or the Hainan Tourism Duty Free Shopping Complex.
Swedish beauty tech and wellness company Foreo has launched online in Macau with the China Duty Free Group (CDFG) and King Power Group (HK) joint venture that operates stores at Macau International Airport.
The company’s Foreo and FAQ lines are now available at the CDF Macau e-shop, with ranges that include the latter’s EMS-Pro, Power-RF, LED-Pulse and T-Sonic pulsations devices.
Throughout August, select stores in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, New Zealand and North America will be transformed into the ‘ultimate beauty playground’ for customers to experience and shop the latest skincare, makeup and fragrances, DFS pledged. The month-long campaign will feature a range of exclusive products and activations from leading beauty brands.
Through a variety of activations and pop-ups from participating brands including Giorgio Armani, Clarins, Guerlain, YSL, Sisley, Givenchy, Shu Uemura, Clé de Peau, NARS and Shiseido, the campaign aims to spark empowerment and recognise diversity as well as support customers in showcasing their best no-filter looks.
Tomorrow (7 August), DFS will host its biggest beauty event of the year at T Galleria by DFS, Macau, Shoppes at Four Seasons featuring workshops, services, gifts and branded activations.
Hainan implements measures to curb duty free reselling
The WeChat report also recapped some of the biggest industry developments in Hainan. The Hainan Provincial Government and General Administration of Customs have implemented traceable source code measures on three categories of duty free goods — fragrances, wines & spirits, and mobile phones. The measure was launched on 1 August and all categories will be covered by year-end.
The interim measures are the first in a range of planned initiatives designed to counter reselling and smuggling of duty free items. They were announced at a press conference in Haikou on 31 July. The event was attended by The Moodie Davitt Report’s Hainan partner, Hainan Hinews Media Co (the province’s leading digital publisher).
HTDF signs strategic cooperation agreement with Hotel Shilla
In another key sector development, Hainan Tourism Investment Duty Free Co (HTDF) and South Korea’s Hotel Shilla Co – parent company of The Shilla Duty Free – last month signed a far-reaching strategic cooperation agreement.
During the online event on 21 July, HTDF Chairman and General Manager Xie Zhiyong and Hotel Shilla President Han In-Gyu signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on behalf of the two travel retail companies. HTDF said that this agreement does not affect the cooperation relationship between it and existing business partners.
Hainan IEDB to be co-organiser of Virtual Travel Retail Expo and Host of Hainan Discovery zone
The Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development (Hainan IEDB) has become an official co-organiser of the Virtual Travel Retail Expo to be held on 11-15 October, joining founder The Moodie Davitt Report and its digital curation partner FILTR.QINGWA.
Hainan IEDB is also named Host of the Hainan Discovery zone, a highlight of the new-look platform for the 2021 Virtual Travel Retail Expo, the follow-up to the hugely successful October 2020 event, which drew a remarkable audience engagement of 124 exhibitors; 4,373 visitors; and 179,734 stand/suite content views.
The Hainan Discovery zone will showcase all aspects of Hainan’s Free Trade Port programme, with a focus on Hainan duty free retailers, hotels, service companies, brand experiences and the island’s wider tourism and leisure offer. The Hainan Discovery Zone will feature a new level of digital engagement and will offer sponsorship, advertising and promotional opportunities for exhibitors and non-exhibitors alike.
Hainan IEDB Director General Han Shengjian will deliver a keynote speech at the Expo’s Knowledge Hub on Day One of the Expo.
