CHINA. Zhuhai Duty Free Group (ZDFG) has unveiled a departures duty-free store at Hengqin Port, which connects Zhuhai and Macau, yesterday (23 September).
The opening completes the duty-free retail network at the port, which now includes arrivals and departures stores alongside island-wide departure tax refund stores, while also extending the retailer’s border port footprint.
The arrivals store joins the departure store opened in 2023, extending the retailer’s offer to both inbound and outbound travellers.
The expanded network also provides Hengqin-Macau residents and international travellers with more convenient duty-free shopping and tax refund services, supporting the zone’s development as an international tourism destination.
Spanning 345.45sq m, the store is located at the Passenger Inspection Hall and features a wide assortment of products across key categories, including fragrances, beauty, tobacco, spirits, food & confectionery, and consumer electronics.
The store is marking its opening with shopping incentives, interactive check-in activities, gifts with qualifying purchases and selected brand promotions. Further plans include enhanced payment options, membership benefits and on-site services, alongside new cross-sector partnerships designed to make duty-free shopping a more seamless part of cross-border travel between Hengqin and Macau.
The launch ceremony was held under the guidance of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, with the support of the Cooperation Zone Finance Bureau, and organised by Zhuhai Duty Free.
Attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony were key local government and company officials. They included, Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin Executive Committee Deputy Director Cao Jinfeng; Finance Bureau Director Wang Chenhui; Industrial Development Bureau Director Wu Chuangwei; Hengqin Customs Director Zhou Xiaolei; Hengqin Tax Service Deputy Director Luo Jianwen; Gree Group President Wang Yi; Party Committee Member and Zhuguang Group Deputy General Manager Jiang Ping; Zhumian Group Chairman Li Xiangdong; and Shenhe Urban Operation Company General Manager Zeng Yi.
In his remarks, Zhumian Group Chairman Li Xiangdong described Hengqin Port as a key connectivity hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area and a gateway for deeper Guangdong-Macau integration. He highlighted the port’s role in facilitating the movement of people, resources and industries between Hengqin and Macau.
Li said the arrivals store is a key project aimed at addressing a gap in duty-free retail supply within the Cooperation Zone.
He added that Zhuhai Zhumian Group will continue to align with the zone’s development plans, drive the port’s consumer economy and enhance its integrated clearance-and-shopping format, promoting greater integration of business, tourism and cultural resources between Hengqin and Macau.
The opening comes amid rising cross-border traffic between Hengqin and Macau, as the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone marks its fifth anniversary this year. Annual passenger trips through Hengqin Port have risen from 7.36 million to 35.5 million over the past five years, with cumulative passenger flow exceeding 106 million and vehicle crossings surpassing 12.5 million.
The increase in traffic has strengthened Hengqin Port’s role as a hub for work, community living, tourism and shopping, underpinned by a growing commercial and consumer services sector.
The new arrivals duty-free store is being operated through a dedicated joint venture between Zhuhai Duty Free, Dahengqin Commercial and Shenhe Cultural, Commercial and Tourism, bringing together complementary strengths to serve cross-border travellers between Hengqin and Macau.
Zhuhai Duty Free contributes its established expertise in port duty-free retail, covering store operations, supply chain management and customer services. Its Hengqin Port departures store, launched in 2023, has annual sales of more than CNY10 million (US$1.49 million), providing valuable operational experience and an existing customer base.
Dahengqin Commercial adds local expertise in Hengqin’s commercial and urban operations, including port-related retail settings. Shenhe Cultural, Commercial and Tourism brings resources across cultural, commercial and tourism development under its ‘Macau plus Hengqin’ approach, supported by capabilities in industrial development, asset operations and integrated services.
Hengqin Port caters to both tourism and daily cross-border travel, with its customer base extending beyond tourists to Macau residents, workers and students. Customs data for the first half of 2026 shows visitors to Macau represented 38.1% of port traffic, while Macau residents accounted for 28.5%, non-local university students 17.3% and non-local employees 15.3%.
As the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin marks its fifth anniversary, Zhuhai Duty Free’s expanded presence at Hengqin Port adds to its retail offering for residents and cross-border travellers.
Zhumian Group plans to further develop port duty-free retail and expand services for Hengqin-Macau residents and travellers, while supporting the area’s cultural tourism and consumer sectors. ✈
