HONG KONG. The world’s first flagship Hennessy store in an airport has officially opened at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). It is located in the new Duty Zero by cdf environment at Terminal 1 Departure Hall 1.
Operated by the CDF-Lagardère joint venture between China Duty Free Group and Lagardère Travel Retail, the House of Hennessy offers a rare opportunity for travellers to “immerse themselves in the untold stories” of the leading Cognac brand.
The world-first boutique, which soft opened in June, was inaugurated in style yesterday (27 September) in a grand celebration attended by Moët Hennessy, CDF-Lagardère, Airport Authority Hong Kong, as well as regional and international press – including The Moodie Davitt Report* – and VIP guests.
Designed by French agency Malherbe for HKIA, House of Hennessy takes inspiration from Château de Bagnolet, a historic French castle acquired by Auguste and Irene Hennessy in 1841. Built in the style of a Louisiana colonial house, the castle has been a symbol of French art de vivre and Hennessy heritage for more than a century, according to the Maison.
Speaking at the grand opening, Moët Hennessy CEO Philippe Schaus described Château de Bagnolet as “the centre of savoir-faire in Cognac, a place where we welcome guests from around the world” to enjoy French Cognac in picturesque surroundings.
“Malherbe has this unique capacity to blend tradition and modernity, and to balance brand presentation with true retail functionality and expertise. The House of Hennessy is not only an expression of the brand but also a very functional retail store which has already proven to be very successful with our customers, and in crafting experiences that make people want to come back to the store,” he added.
The first-of-its-kind boutique offers a full range of Hennessy Cognacs, along with limited editions and exclusive products such as Hennessy 200th Year Anniversary VSOP; Hennessy X.O designed by Marc Newson and Hennessy X.X.O Hors d’Âge. The latter is a new interpretation of the original Hennessy X.X.O first created in 1870, and is only available in selected travel retail outlets. The boutique showcase also includes a selection of Hennessy rarities, including the Hennessy X.O Mathusalem 6-litre and Edition Particulière.
“So we have a range here which goes from approximately 600 HKD (US$77) to over 200,000 HKD (US$25,550), covering all the different typologies of Cognacs and all possible desires which one might have in this category,” Schaus underlined.
In an effort to appeal to frequent travellers, the product offer will be updated every two months.
Digital is a key element of the boutique, with large LED displays and iPads adding a new dimension to storytelling, while professionally trained service staff are on hand to guide travellers on their sensory discovery of Hennessy.
To further elevate the experience, an immersive VIP room has been created for travellers to go behind the scenes and get an initiation of Hennessy Paradis Impérial. With the help of interactive technologies, they are invited to enter the Château de Bagnolet to discover three chapters: ‘Hennessy Saga’, ‘Hennessy Savoir-Faire’ and ‘Hennessy Paradis Impérial’.
Continuing its tradition of artist collaborations, Hennessy has commissioned American street artist John Andrew Perello – better known as JonOne – to create an artwork installation to mark the grand opening of House of Hennessy. It combines grapes, leaves and Hennessy’s bottles in an abstract interpretation of Hennessy, with vibrant splashes of colour.
“Blending eaux-de-vie is like blending colours,” JonOne explained, likening the colours to the layers, flavours and aromas that the master blender creates in the Cognac elaboration process. It expresses “the intersection of two worlds that share the same passion for excellence and creation”, the Maison stated.
“I interpreted my vision of Hennessy as a dance of colours,” JonOne told The Moodie Davitt Report at the House of Hennessy opening ceremony, where he put the finishing touches to the piece in a live art performance. “I think drinking Hennessy is like sharing a good moment.”
He added: “For the past ten years, Hennessy has been working with artists but you usually see it on the bottles [JonOne designed the 2017 Hennessy V.S Limited Edition] or in videos. This is one of the first times you can actually see Hennessy’s direct involvement with the arts and in promoting artists, especially street artists like me.”
The installation will be in place at HKIA for one month before being shipped back to Hennessy’s headquarters in Cognac, JonOne revealed.
Commenting on the collaboration, Moët Hennessy President of Global Travel Retail Laurent Boidevezi said: “Due to the strong demand in the Asia market in recent years as well as consumer desire to further explore Cognac culture, we have been developing interactive and educational approaches to engage with global travellers in Hong Kong International Airport which experiences a large volume of traffic, making it the ideal location for this prestigious installation. We are also delighted to be working with Airport Authority Hong Kong and CDF-Lagardère to bring our first-of-a-kind boutique to life in this way. It will definitely strengthen our Trinity partnership.”
China Duty Free Group President Charles Chen commented: “We treasure the collaboration with our precious partner Hennessy. We share the same passion for excellence and creation; the best-positioned alliance with the only objective to offer an exceptional duty free shopping experience to travellers at Hong Kong International Airport.”
At the ceremony, Chen also highlighted the warm reception to the new boutique since it was first unveiled at the grand opening of Duty Zero by cdf in June: “Since the soft launch of phase one of House of Hennessy three months ago, the market has responded positively to the offering of a luxurious shopping environment, comprehensive products and premier services. Now with the completion of phase two and the launch of the immersive VIP room, we believe we are bringing a brand new shopping experience to customers. The grand opening of the House of Hennessy is just the start. Going forward, Duty Zero will continue to join hand in hand with our partners to introduce creativity and innovation to fulfill our commitment to the creation of the world’s finest destination at Hong Kong International Airport.”
[See below for a video of the House of Hennessy during phase one, when the immersive VIP room was still a cosy seating area for VIP customers]
In his speech, Lagardère Travel Retail Chairman & CEO Dag Rasmussen said: “When Lagardère Travel Retail, in partnership with China Duty Free Group, launched Duty Zero here at Hong Kong International Airport, we promised to set a new benchmark and record. Almost a year after we first started trading our liquor & tobacco and gourmet food stores at this very airport, we remain true to that promise. I can’t think of a better way to demonstrate that than by introducing this first Hennessy flagship store in an airport worldwide.
“Our joint venture – CDF-Lagardère – wanted to give travellers at Hong Kong International Airport something that was truly original and exciting. This exceptional House of Hennessy store achieves that. It is more than a boutique: we have created a fully immersive Cognac experience for passengers. You can discover for yourselves the different features of this very special experience: the VIP room, the smart use of interactive technologies, the exclusive and limited-edition products, the activation programme which we will refresh on a regular basis, and above all, the unique design and architecture.
“House of Hennessy is a key part of the all-new shopping experience at Hong Kong International Airport we have created at CDF-Lagardère. Our ambition is to give passengers, especially frequent travellers, great reasons to come or come earlier to the airport. Across the wines and spirits offer we have increased the product choice with a unique selection of more than 100 single malt whiskies, and showcasing the largest Chinese liquor and tobacco offer of any airport. With House of Hennessy, we are fully delivering Lagardere Travel Retail’s vision to engage and entertain passengers every day. I’m extremely delighted to celebrate this world-first House of Hennessy at Hong Kong International Airport and I welcome you all to experience everything it has to offer.”
[Stay tuned for an interview with Moët Hennessy Global Travel Retail President Laurent Boidevezi, coming soon.]
*NOTE: The Moodie Davitt Report provided on-location coverage of the House of Hennessy launch via Instagram Stories – check out the ‘Hennessy HKIA’ Story Highlight on our Instagram profile at this link.
