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ASIA PACIFIC. In a boost to its business, Nuance-Watson Asia has been awarded two speciality retail licences at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). These come alongside an important luxury brand name concession at Singapore Changi Airport (reported earlier), where the company will operate a new Emporio Armani store in T2.
The HKIA concessions include a Longchamp boutique and a fine food concept.
The Longchamp boutique covers around 53sq m in HKIA Terminal 1 Airside Departures West Hall, and the fine food boutique embraces 119sq m of space in the same hall. The latter will be the only multi-brand fine food stand-alone store at the airport. As reported, the Changi T2 store will measure around 103sq m.
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“Our commitment to expanding our airport business in Asia remains very strong.“ |
Alessandra Piovesana Regional Managing Director Nuance-Watson Asia |
Although the retailer lost its core category beauty and airside general merchandise concessions in the recent tenders at HKIA, Nuance-Watson Asia said it was “keen to invest and expand its general merchandise offers in Asian airports”.
It said it would so “by leveraging Nuance-Watson (HK)’s skills and expertise in the related categories, as well as its proven and strong vendor relations developed in the past 14 years, managing 280 general merchandise brands at HKIA”.
Of the Changi boutique, the company noted: “Securing the luxury brand name concession with Emporio Armani at Changi Airport is a major strategic step to expand and solidify Nuance-Watson (Singapore)’s general merchandise brand business beyond Perfumes & Cosmetics at Changi Airport, after the [earlier] launches of Bally and MCM boutiques.”
Alessandra Piovesana, Regional Managing Director of Nuance-Watson Asia, said: “Our achievements in such highly competitive tenders are a clear indication that our commitment to expanding our airport business in Asia remains very strong. NWHK has innovative category insights, unrivalled expertise and brand partnerships in the general merchandise category.
“Our operational experience of luxury and general merchandise at HKIA has built up our capability to constantly recruit, nurture and add new winning brands, while developing store environments that are flexible and adaptable to changes. Nuance-Watson (Singapore) and Nuance-Watson (HK) are operating at airports providing excellent access to Asian and world destinations. In the past two years we have been looking at leveraging our combined experience and specific capabilities at these two major airport hubs, to create new opportunities for our customers, brands and our operations in Asia both existing and potential.”
She added: “The introduction of the Emporio Armani boutique at Changi Airport is only one of the first steps where we commit to expanding, whereas our two new speciality offers at HKIA see us embarking on a path of rebuilding a versatile business against challenges. Ultimately, these three new offerings are sure to enhance Asian passengers’ travel choices and appreciation.
“I am pleased to see that our team’s cooperation is genuine, well rooted and that there is vivid commitment to move on, strengthening, rebuilding and expanding in Asia.”
Nuance-Watson (Singapore) Managing Director, Ken Tse said: “We have studied the current, and soon-to-change Terminal 2 passengers profile and found Emporio Armani to be an excellent fit to exploit on the growing affluence of the Singapore young executives, and the new generation of luxury-conscious consumers. We are excited about winning and operating this new unique concession and believe it will enhance the total Changi Airport experience”.
Nuance-Watson (HK) General Manager Clarice Au said: “As a result of investigating the most updated passengers’ and consumers’ movements and purchasing habits at HKIA West Hall, we are pleased to have won and soon be operating this unique multi-brand fine food stand-alone offer and to be able to broaden customers’ reach to the Longchamp brand at our airport.”
