CHINA. The Estée Lauder Companies and Dufry have partnered to open a striking La Mer boutique at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. The standalone boutique is located in Terminal 2, which welcomes 37 million passengers each year. It is La Mer’s first standalone boutique in the Chinese airport duty paid channel.
The 54sq m space offers an immersive luxury experience offering La Mer’s skincare, body care and makeup lines.
Dedicated Beauty Advisors are on-hand to offer makeup lessons, hand massages, bespoke skincare consultations and skincare tips while travelling. The consultations are supported by digital tools which offer in-depth insights into each traveller’s skin type.
Dufry has been present in Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport since 2008 since acquiring the former Gabico business. It currently operates the Hermès, Cartier, Montblanc and Tod’s luxury boutiques with La Mer as the newest addition to its luxury store portfolio.
The La Mer boutique is a new space for Dufry after winning the Shanghai Hongqiao contract for Terminal 2 in February. The opening, according to the retailer, underlines its expansion plans for China travel retail.
Dufry Asia Pacific President & CEO Freda Cheung commented: “Asia Pacific is a key growth region for Dufry and part of the geographical expansion. It is one of the four pillars of our exciting Destination 2027 strategy which seeks to revolutionise the travel experience.
“Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is a key hub for domestic passengers as well as a gateway to the world, and we are confident that this collaboration, which builds on our current offer at this location, is a great step towards achieving our goals.
“These very much include bringing the best travel experience for our customers. Our thanks to our partners at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and The Estée Lauder Companies team as we look forward to continuing and building on our collaboration in the future.”
Estée Lauder La Mer China Head of Business Development Lawrence Zhu added: “Congratulations on La Mer’s Opening at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport T2 which is our first presence at China’s duty paid travel retail channel. We are very proud to partner with Dufry for such a stunning boutique which offers a luxury experience featuring La Mer’s most loved assortments and services to travellers before starting their journey.”
Dufry China Commercial Manager Lilian Han added: “This boutique, created with one of the region’s best-loved beauty brands, is modern, timeless and will take the La Mer experience to another level for our passengers.
“We are very proud of what has been achieved and look forward to welcoming customers to this beautiful La Mer experience. We thank The Estée Lauder Companies for their continued trust and collaboration.”
Shanghai Hongqiao Airport General Manager Retail Management Department Dicky Cheung added: “We are delighted to welcome La Mer — the first stand-alone boutique in China’s duty paid domestic airports operated by Dufry — to join Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai, offering passengers an elevated skincare experience.
“We have established a long term partnership with Dufry for various categories, and we are looking forward to having more new concepts and prestigious brands in the coming future.” ✈
