Retail News CRM

Tag: Travel Retail

  • Atelier Cologne opens first pop-up in Kuala Lumpur airport

    Atelier Cologne opens first pop-up in Kuala Lumpur airport

    Atelier Cologne Travel Retail Asia Pacific announced the Southeast Asia airport debut of its pop-up concept at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). In collaboration with Malaysia Airports and Colours & Fragrances (C&F) under DR Group, the pop-up is now officially open till end February 2019 for arriving and departing passengers through the Satellite Building at KLIA.

    For the launch of the pop-up, cologners could enjoy a personalised fragrance profiling session to discover their very own scent.

    The background of the pop-up was also dressed up as a Parisian rooftop featuring a skyline of the elegant Paris, cobbled flooring and a rustic swing. This set-up will be available till end of December 2018.

    A gift and engraving workshop is offered to customers, allowing them to personalise the leather case of their perfume bottles with a name, initials or even a message.

    According to Nazli Aziz, Senior General Manager for Commercial Services, Malaysia Airports, the duty-free sales in the Asia Pacific region is growing significantly, largely driven by perfumes and cosmetics with a market value of USD 14 billion in 2017.

    As for KLIA, overall sales per passenger recorded a double-digit growth of 13 per cent in 2017.

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  • DFS Group Kicks Off Its Seasonal Gifting Campaign

    DFS Group Kicks Off Its Seasonal Gifting Campaign

    DFS Group has kicked off its annual gifting campaign at T Galleria by DFS in Okinawa. The “Give Joy”-themed campaign opened on November 24, showcasing DFS’s first ever “Personalisation Gift Shop” concept, where an assortment of specially curated luxury gifts can be personalised, along with services. The concept will now be rolled out in T Galleria by DFS stores in Hong Kong’s Canton Road and Macau’s City of Dreams, along with stores in Singapore, Angkor (Cambodia), Saipan, Bali, Guam, Okinawa, Hawaii and Sydney.

    The store was transformed into a “gifting wonderland” at the launch as guests were invited to try the personalisation services – monogramming leather goods, and adorning t-shirts and tote bags with Foxy’s six DFS exclusive emoji iron-on patches.

    DFS Group executive VP merchandising Ariel Gentzbourger said: “Thanks to our unique approach to gifting, and our understanding of what our customers are seeking, we have created a shopping experience that is a joy in itself.”

    Gifting-themed entertainment at the event included a life-size advent calendar overflowing with holiday treasures, a special visit from Santa Claus and a “candygram” corner for guests to pick and mix sweet treats.

    View the gallery below for the report of the event (11 images) :

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  • Long Thanh Airport could host long haul or beyond-ASEAN flights

    Long Thanh Airport could host long haul or beyond-ASEAN flights

    Several options, including exclusive servicing of long-haul flights, have been proposed for the Long Thanh Airport planned in southern Vietnam. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has recommended two broad options for dividing traffic between the existing Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City and the Long Thanh Airport that will built in the neighboring province of Dong Nai.

    The first option that it has suggested to the Transport Ministry is that Long Thanh will handle all international flights of more than 1,000 km, with the rest flying into Tan Son Nhat.

    For domestic flights, carriers can choose where they want to be based.

    The second option is to allocate all flights from outside Southeast Asia to Long Thanh.

    The allocation criteria can be reconsidered after five years of actual operation, the CAAV proposed.

    Carriers Jetstar Pacific and Vietjet have supported the second option.

    Vietnam Airlines wants to use Long Thanh for all international flights and certain domestic flights and Tan Son Nhat only for domestic flights.

    The preliminary feasibility report on the Long Thanh airport by a joint venture between firms from Japan, France and Vietnam had suggested that all budget carriers could fly into Tan Son Nhat, and all full-service airlines use Long Thanh.

    But CAAV executives said the law does not distinguish between full-service and low-cost airlines, making the suggestion impractical.

    In the communication it sent recently to the Transport Ministry, the CAAV suggested operating international and domestic flights from both airports, ensuring their equal and non-discriminatory use.

    An aviation specialist who did not want to be named pointed out that airlines would prefer to operate from Tan Son Nhat because of its high capacity and proximity to downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

    The ministry needs to allocate flights in such a way as to ensure both airports benefit equally and the load on Tan Son Nhat eases. The allocation of domestic flights to Tan Son Nhat and international flights to Long Thanh is not feasible since airlines fly the same aircraft on both international and domestic routes, meaning they would often have to fly empty between the two airports, the specialist noted.

    He said the distribution of routes should also depend on the growth of the aviation market.

    Situated 40 kilometers east of Ho Chi Minh City, the Long Thanh airport is expected to take up the overflow from the largest existing airport in the country, the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

    The Tan Son Nhat International Airport now receives 32 million passengers a year, far beyond its designed capacity of 25 million.

    Long Thanh, to be built in three phases over three decades, was recently listed as one of the world’s 16 most exciting airport projects.

    The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2025 when it will be able to handle 25 million passengers a year. The next two phases will be built in 2030-2035 and 2040-2050.

    It will have a capacity of 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo when completed.

    The Airports Corporation of Vietnam said airports had handled 87 million passengers in the first 10 months of this year, up 12 percent year-on-year.

    The number of international passengers rose by 23 percent and domestic passengers by 7 percent.

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  • Lotte gears up for winter promotion at downtown and airport stores

    Lotte gears up for winter promotion at downtown and airport stores

    The winter promotion for Lotte Duty Free will kick off on 23 November and run until 2 January 2019. The large-scale event will see more than 50 overseas brands, including  MaxMara, Ferragamo and Vivienne Westwood, offered at a discount of 20-80%.

    During the six-week promotion, any customers spending more than $1 at the retailer’s Myeongdong head office, World Tower, Coex, Incheon Airport, Gimpo Airport, Busan or Jeju stores will be given the chance to enter a lottery. 10 winners from the lottery will be presented with a ₩3m ($2,658) travel voucher.

    Customers spending a certain amount instore will be entitled to giveaways and gifts with purchase. Those that more than $800 in Lotte’s World Tower or Coex downtown stores will receive tickets for the Picasso and Cubism Art Exhibition; those spending more than $300 at World Tower, Coex, Busan or Jeju from 28 November will receive a Lotte calendar, while those spending more than $300 at Incheon, Gimpo or Gimhae airports after 1 December will receive a free microfiber knee blanket; and those that spend more than $100 at the retailer’s Coex store will be awarded a scratch coupon.

  • 65% jump for Lotte Duty Free’s overseas sales

    65% jump for Lotte Duty Free’s overseas sales

    South Korean retail giant Lotte’s duty-free operator Lotte Duty Free posted a rapid hike in overseas sales in its quarterly performance report. According to the company, sales for the third quarter this year hit a record-high 4.1 trillion won (US$3.6 billion), a 25 percent on-year increase.

    The sales from its downtown city stores and its overseas stores amounted to 3.8 trillion won and 164 billion won, respectively.

    Lotte Duty Free currently operates seven overseas stores in countries including Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. Sales at its overseas stores increased 65 percent from a year ago, and the outlet in Vietnam recorded an 800 percent jump in sales.

    The company said it expects 200 billion won worth of overseas sales by year-end.

    It will also soon open its first duty-free store in Australia.

    According to the company, its operating profit in the third quarter totaled 228 billion won, representing an on-year jump of 550 percent.

    The company said the number proves that the retailer is recovering from China’s apparent retaliation over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here.

    After withdrawing stores from Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport in February due to a sharp drop in sales, Lotte Duty Free is focusing on aggressive marketing for its online mall and its downtown outlets.

    Compared with last year, its sales online and at its downtown stores rose 42 percent and 50 percent, respectively, the company said.

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  • Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong appoints new MD

    Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong appoints new MD

    The Shilla Duty Free has appointed a new MD of its Hong Kong operations. Changha Shin takes over the helm of Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong this week after the surprise departure of Alice Woo. Woo built the business up after becoming its first employee last year when the Korean-owned travel retail company secured major duty-free concessions at Hong Kong International Airport.

    Prior to working with Shilla, Woo spent 22 years in travel retail in Asia, Hawaii and North America, with companies including DFS Group and Nuance Watson.

    Her replacement Shin was previously the merchandising director of Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong. In a short statement, Shilla said Shin has a wealth of knowledge across various product categories with 14 years of experience. He started in HR with Shilla Group and has “deep knowledge” of Shilla Group and its partners.

    “The Shilla Duty Free is proud to promote from within and support the development of its staff.”

    Woo will leave her position this week with the change referred to being due to “internal circumstances”. It is unclear if she will remain with the company in another role.

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  • Duty-free sales may hit all-time record this year

    Duty-free sales may hit all-time record this year

    Korea’s duty-free sales are likely to set a new annual record this year despite Chinese group tour traffic not having fully recovered.  According to the Korea Duty Free Shops Association, duty-free store operators made $1.44 billion in October, a 28.6 percent increase year on year. This takes Korea’s total duty-free revenue between January and October to $14.3 billion, surpassing 2017’s full-year revenue of $12.8 billion.

    “The local duty-free market was 14 trillion won [$12.4 billion] in size last year – some forecast this year will reach a new all-time record of 18 trillion won,” said a source at one of Korea’s largest duty-free store operators.

    The growth is meaningful considering that Chinese group tours are not fully back in the market.

    Industry watchers and analysts attribute the increase in duty-free sales this year to “daigongs,” or individual Chinese merchants that purchase Korean goods and resell them at home.

    Before Chinese group tours were banned in March 2017 after Korea’s deployment of the U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense antimissile system, they were a major source of revenue for local duty-free stores. As traveling to Korea for Chinese became more difficult, the reselling business began to grow.

    “Revenues are going up this year but we’re still waiting for group tours to come back,” said another source at one of top three duty-free companies.

    Sales increases are generally good news, but industry watchers warn that operating profits will not grow as fast as revenues. Attracting daigongs entails high marketing costs. New duty-free outlets opened in Seoul this year, which means competition to pull in daigongs may become more intense.

    Signs suggest restrictions on group tours from China are easing. Some online tour agencies have started marketing group tour packages to Korea on their websites. Last week, China’s largest online tour agency Ctrip posted Korean tour products on its website, but erased them the same day.

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  • With China business back, Korean Air’s net triples in Q3

    With China business back, Korean Air’s net triples in Q3

    Korean Air’s net profit in the third quarter more than tripled in comparison to last year largely due to increased sales of long-haul flight tickets and a business recovery in China, the company said in an earnings report on Tuesday. The company posted 267.8 billion won ($236 million) in net profit for the quarter that ended in September, more than three times the 75.7 billion won it earned last year when the airline suffered from China’s economic retaliation for the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in Korea.

    The airline posted a record 3.4 trillion won in revenue for the quarter, up 9.1 percent year on year. For operating profit, the company posted 392.8 billion won, up 3.7 percent year on year.

    Despite a rise in international oil prices and a deterioration in foreign exchange rates, the company said joint venture operations with Delta Air Lines launched in May contributed to an increase in transfer passengers. General increase in demand for travel in Korea also pulled up sales.

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  • Vietnam’s Vietjet valued second in Southeast Asia

    Vietnam’s Vietjet valued second in Southeast Asia

    Vietnam’s largest private airline, Vietjet Aviation, is the second most valuable airline in Southeast Asia by market capitalization. Vietjet’s value is only behind Singapore Airlines, as reported last Thursday. Last Friday, the airline was valued at $3.02 billion while Singapore Airlines topped the region at $8.29 billion.

    On Thursday, Vietjet Air launched a new international route between Hanoi and Japan’s Osaka. It plans to open two more routes to Japan in December and January.

    Earlier this month, Vietjet signed a $6.5 billion agreement to buy 50 Airbus A321neo jets.

    The airline said that the order was in line with its growth strategies and will enhance its operational efficiency and capacity, especially on international routes.

    In Vietnam, Vietjet only has to contend with two domestic rivals: the state-run Vietnam Airlines and its low-cost arm, Jetstar Pacific Airlines.

    “There are only three airlines in Vietnam, and that arrangement facilitates profit generation domestically,” a representative at an international brokerage told the Nikkei Asia Review.

    In March last year, Vietjet’s market capitalization surpassed that of state-owned Vietnam Airlines only a week after it was listed.

    Vietjet currently operates 60 Airbus jets with more than 385 flights daily within Vietnam and to countries and territories such as mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

  • Korean Air shifting most of its data to Amazon’s AWS

    Korean Air shifting most of its data to Amazon’s AWS

    Korean Air Lines said Tuesday it will transfer most of its data and applications to Amazon’s cloud computing platform as it overhauls its IT infrastructure over the next three years. The planned data migration to Amazon Web Services (AWS) is part of Korean Air’s broader plan to invest 200 billion won ($178 million) over the next 10 years to accelerate the company’s digital innovation and transformation, Korean Air said in a statement.

    “Leveraging cloud technologies means we will be able to provide faster and more efficient services that are tailored to the needs of our customers,” Korean Air President Walter Cho said in the statement.

    Cho, AWS Managing Director Ed Lenta and LG CNS Chief Executive Kim Young-seob signed a data center outsourcing agreement. LG CNS, one of Korea’s leading IT outsourcing providers, will help Korean Air move its data to the AWS system.

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  • DFS Group Launches “GIVE JOY” Holiday Gifting Campaign For 2018

    DFS Group Launches “GIVE JOY” Holiday Gifting Campaign For 2018

    DFS Group, the world’s leading luxury travel retailer, is launching its 2018 seasonal gifting campaign, “Give Joy”, to celebrate the spirit of the festive season and the gift of giving. From November 15, 2018 to January 1, 2019, customers will be able to add unique touches to exclusive products available at DFS’ first ever ‘Personalization Gift Shop’ concept. Boasting an assortment of specially curated luxury gifts, alongside an array of dedicated brand pop-ups, branded personalization stations and personalization services, the concept is designed to delight DFS’ discerning traveling customers and enhance their festive shopping experience in 13 T Galleria and airport locations worldwide.

    DFS is also launching the latest edition of its annual and much-anticipated “Give Joy” Holiday Gift Guide, offering customers a curated selection of personalized products. This year, the Holiday Gift Guide features DFS’ own employees as gifting experts, sharing their advice with customers on how to bring the festive season alive through the joy of giving. Showcasing an extensive selection of 143 incredible gifts from 108 world-famous brands across all of DFS’ luxury categories – from Fashion and Accessories and Beauty and Fragrance to Watches and Jewelry, Spirits, Wine and Food – shoppers will be spoiled for choice to treat their loves ones and themselves to something special.

    A stellar line-up of brands will also feature in DFS’ exclusive pop-ups during the “Give Joy” campaign:

    • Dior will host a special ‘Charms Bar’ offering customers the chance to create their own couture-inspired lucky charms accessory with a choice of four colors of ribbon and eight iconic Dior gold lucky charms.
    • Moët Hennessy will offer customers the opportunity to use elevated technology to write a tailored message in golden ink on champagne bottles on the spot.
    • Jo Malone London will offer a photograph transfer service on a beautiful Jo Malone classic gift box. Customers can choose from a personal favorite or an iconic city photograph, making it the perfect personalized gift for this holiday season.

    The exquisitely decorated Personalization Gift Shop will feature a life-size gift box, bringing an exclusive and enticing experience to DFS customers with personalization and the gift of giving. Holiday ribbons available in gold, silver and red and made especially for DFS allow customers to personalize their gifts with special greeting messages in six languages; superb leather goods can be made unique with on-the-spot monogramming; and t-shirts and tote bags can be adorned with limited-edition emoji iron-on patches so that customers can mix and match to create one-of-a-kind designs.

    “We’re excited to bring a sense of fun and individuality to our customers this festive season with our exclusive pop-up gift shops, offering a wonderful array of products from some of the best brands in the world,” said Ariel Gentzbourger, DFS Group Executive Vice President Merchandising. “We hope to enhance the pleasure of giving by offering our customers many ways to delight their friends and family, making the shopping experience a joy in itself.”

    Full serviced DFS’ Personalization Gift Shops will be available in the following locations:

    T Galleria by DFS, Hawaii, T Galleria by DFS, Okinawa, T Galleria by DFS, Guam, T Galleria by DFS, Saipan, T Galleria by DFS, Singapore, T Galleria by DFS, Angkor, T Galleria by DFS, Sydney, T Galleria by DFS, Bali,T Galleria by DFS, Hong Kong, Canton Road, and T Galleria by DFS, Macau, City of Dreams.

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  • Jeju Air net profit falls 3.7% due to the high cost of oil

    Jeju Air net profit falls 3.7% due to the high cost of oil

    Jeju Air, Korea’s biggest low-cost carrier by sales, said Tuesday its third-quarter net profit fell 3.7 percent from a year earlier due to high oil prices. Net profit for the three-month period that ended on Sept. 30 reached 31 billion won ($27.6 million), compared with 32.3 billion won ($28.7 million) a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing.

    The budget airline said high oil prices are to blame for the decline in net profit.

    Jet fuel prices came to $87.3 per barrel in the third quarter, up 45 percent from a year earlier.

    Operating profit fell 6.5 percent to 37.7 billion won ($33.5 million) in the July-September period from 40.3 billion won ($35.8 million) a year ago. Sales were up 31.3 percent to 350 billion won ($311 million) from 266.5 billion won ($236.8 million) during the same period last year, it said.

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  • Asiana Airlines net profit jumps up 181% in Q3

    Asiana Airlines net profit jumps up 181% in Q3

    Asiana Airlines, Korea’s second-largest airline by sales, said on Tuesday that its third-quarter net profit skyrocketed 181 percent on improved financial status. Net profit in the July-September period came to 47.8 billion won ($42.5 million), up from 17 billion ($15 million) won a year earlier on a consolidated basis, the company said in a statement.

    Operating profit fell 15 percent to 101 billion won ($89.7 million), while sales increased 14 percent to 1.85 trillion won ($1.64 billion) over the cited period.

    The company attributed the rise in net profit to an improvement in its financial structure.

    Asiana said its debt reduced from 4.06 trillion won ($3.6 billion) by the end of last year to 3.14 trillion won ($2.68 billion) by the end of September.

    Profit from the summer peak season and sales of its group office building in downtown Seoul were reflected in the latest earnings, according to the company.

    Meanwhile, Asiana cited rising oil prices as the cause of the drop in operating profit.

    Shares of the flag carrier closed at 3,920 won ($3.48) on the Seoul bourse, up 1.16 percent from the previous session’s close.

  • Lacasa Hotel opens luxury style hotel in Gwangmyeong

    Lacasa Hotel opens luxury style hotel in Gwangmyeong

    The Lacasa Hotel Gwangmyeong opened its doors on Monday in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi. This is the second branch of the boutique hotel brand Lacasa which launched in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul in 2011.

    It is located inside the Lacasa Tower between the seventh and 16th floors, and has 191 rooms and three penthouses. The hotel offers a green view from its windows. On the seventh floor is an outdoor garden.

    “Our goal is to make Lacasa Hotel Gwangmyeong into a comprehensive space for rest, culture, shopping and business,” said Choi Yoon-kyung, the vice president of Lacasa Hotel.

    To celebrate the opening, Lacasa will hold a classical music concert for locals on Nov. 17 inside the new venue.

  • Vietjet Air targets young aircraft fleet to keep costs low

    Vietjet Air targets young aircraft fleet to keep costs low

    Budget carrier Vietjet Air plans a fleet age average of three years to keep fuel and maintenance costs low. Vietjet Air is in negotiations to firm up the deal after ordering 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and 50 Airbus A321neo aircraft at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K. in July.

    The planes are expected to be delivered between 2020 and 2025, Vietjet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao said recently.

    But some analysts have questioned whether Vietjet is equipping itself with way too much aircraft, given that it already owns 62 Airbus narrow body jets.

    The carrier, which leads the domestic market with a 45 percent share, expects to receive 30 new aircraft and “retire” 10 each year between 2020 and 2025 to keep its fleet young, Thao said.

    “The average age of Vietjet aircraft is three years now and we want to keep it that way,” she said on the sidelines of a CEO conference in Bangkok.

    The average age of Vietjet’s planes is half that of other low-cost and fast-growing carriers in Asia like Malaysia’s AirAsia, Indonesia’s Lion Air and India’s IndiGo, according to Airfleets.net.

    “The main reason for the young fleet is to keep the maintenance and fuel costs low and to ensure a good service for passengers on fresh, convenient planes,” said Thao.

    Deliveries of those planes are expected to happen from now until early next year.Last month, Vietjet inked a deal to buy 10 Airbus aircraft worth $1.24 billion from Japanese and French companies.

    Thai Vietjet, which operates under a franchise contract in Thailand, is flying with seven jets and expected to add ten more jets each year, the carrier had said this month.

    Vietjet runs 385 flights daily within Vietnam and to Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, mainland China, Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia.

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