Chanel opens Incheon International Airport T1 store with Hyundai Duty Free

SOUTH KOREA. On 1 October luxury fashion house Chanel opened a 405sq m boutique at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1, in partnership with Hyundai Department Store Duty Free. It marks Chanel’s return to Terminal 1 after a six-year absence.

The new Chanel store rounds out an impressive luxury offer in the boutique zone at Incheon T1

The inauguration, which was held in compliance with local COVID-19 guidelines, was attended by key officials, including Kim Kyung-wook, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, Lee Jae-shil, CEO of Hyundai Department Store Duty Free, and Stéphane Blanchard, CEO of Chanel Korea.

The store features distinct fashion, leathergoods and watch and jewellery zones. The eye-catching facade is composed of white lacquered panels reminiscent of pleated fabric and large expansive windows.

Senior executives from Incheon International Airport, Chanel and Hyundai Department Store Duty Free perform the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony on 1 October

The brand owner has had a store in T2 (with Shinsegae Duty Free) since that terminal opened in 2018. With this latest opening, noted Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), Terminal now houses leading luxury brands Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Hermès, providing “a more elegant duty-free shopping environment”.

IIAC added: “In particular, while some luxury brands have recently considered withdrawing from downtown duty free shops, the opening of Chanel at the airport has great implications. Despite the significant contraction of the travel retail market due to COVID-19, global brands recognise airport duty free shops as a key pillar of important shopping channels in the period of travel demand recovery.”

Incheon International Airport Corporation President Kim Kyung-wook said: “We are pleased with the achievement of the Chanel opening, which is the result of hard work at the company level, including drastic rent cuts and an expansion of boutique areas and significantly increased facade heights. The opening of Chanel is expected to signal the revitalisation of the airport duty free industry.

“In the upcoming era, we will try to design and develop various spaces suitable for a high-quality shopping environment to provide the best customer experience.”

Food & Beverage The Magazine eZine