AUSTRALIA. Lotte Duty Free is celebrating its recent sponsorship of the Australian leg of Mandopop superstar Jay Chou’s world tour.
The leading travel retailer was an official sponsor of the Jay Chou Carnival World Tour Australia, which took place in Sydney on 2 March and in Melbourne on 16 and 17 March, attracting more than 50,000 people.
The collaboration is part of Lotte Duty Free’s wider marketing push to bolster its presence Oceania.
Citing data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the retailer noted a year-on-year increase of +108.3% to the volume of international visitors in Australia from January to November 2023. Lotte Duty Free also registered a +232% sales growth in Oceania from January to February of this year, compared to the same period in 2022.
Its strong presence in the region has prompted the retailer to boost its marketing campaign to attract more tourists worldwide, including those from China, the top source market for Oceania duty free.
As reported, Jay Chou – a hugely popular star in the Greater China region – teamed up with the travel retailer for the launch of a pop-up store of his own fashion brand Phantaci in late February at the Lotte Duty Free Sydney Downtown location.
The VIP event was attended by global celebrities and influencers including Taiwanese star Alan Ko. Chou made a surprise visit to the Sydney outlet the day after the launch, where he was seen taking photos with customers and staff at the Phantaci store, and checking out the specialised section for liquor.
Lotte Duty Free Head of Global Operations Lee Seung-jun said: “It is very meaningful to welcome customers as the official sponsor of Jay Chou’s Australian concert, which is highly popular not only in Greater China but around the world.
“Lotte Duty Free will continue to improve the duty-free shopping experience of multinational tourists. We will strive to showcase the various types of marketing that we can do.”
The travel retailer currently operates 14 stores in six countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam.
Last year, it won a ten-year duty free concession at Melbourne Airport and a new ten-year contract at Brisbane Airport, cementing its position as the leading travel retailer in the Oceania region.
To accelerate its global growth, the company held a grand reopening of its Central Duplex wines, spirits & tobacco store at Changi Airport Terminal 3 and the formalisation of its now fully open 19-store operation at the Singapore gateway. ✈
