CHINA. Lagardère Travel Retail has completed an ambitious renovation of the luxury fashion & accessories offer in Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport’s domestic terminal.
Underlining its strong commitment to high-end domestic terminal shopping in China, the company has introduced a wide array of new brands to elevate the travel retail experience at one of the country’s main airports.
The Shenzhen gateway is the third-busiest airport in Mainland China.
The upgraded master-concession includes 18 boutiques showcasing a powerful array of luxury and premium brands. The 1,700 sqm environment houses an array of boutiques featuring the latest retail concepts from Burberry, Bvlgari, Cartier, Chanel Beauty & Accessories, Coach, Emporio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, Hugo Boss, Jimmy Choo, Kenzo, MaxMara, MCM, Rimowa, Salvatore Ferragamo, Stuart Weitzman, Tory Burch and others.
Lagardère Travel Retail also offers a luxurious private lounge and a VIP concierge team. In partnership with Shenzhen Airport, the company presents passengers with a range of exclusive and personal amenities including curbside greeting, expedited check-in formalities and limousine service, all brought together to complete the indulgence of the shopping experience, Lagardère Travel Retail said.
Lagardère Travel Retail said that it has leveraged its global expertise in airport luxury retail, combined with a large China-based luxury team, to power all aspects of the luxury shopping experience.
This localised approach enables the expectations of sophisticated Chinese consumers and prestigious brand partners to be met in terms of product offer, human resources development, visual merchandising, and customer service, the company added.
Customers in domestic airports expect consistency of product offer and shopping experience with the luxury offer downtown. But they are also looking for a merchandise range and shopping experience that is adapted to their fast-paced lifestyle on the move, Lagardère Travel Retail said.
Additional openings are planned later this year at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport where traffic has recovered strongly from the impact of the COV ID-19 crisis.
Lagardère Travel Retail CEO for North Asia Eudes Fabre said: “We strive for excellence in retail execution, a commitment that is backed by strong investment in our retail footprint, talent development and customer experience.
“We are grateful for the trust of our airport and brand partners that have supported us in bringing this project to life. The expectations of domestic travellers in China are different than in the duty free channel and on the High Street, so we have developed a bespoke approach to serving this market, backed by our team of over 1,000 luxury retail professionals in China and fully-localized supporting functions.
“China has become the most important market for most luxury brands so we constantly strive to meet the evolving expectations of discerning travellers.”
Lagardère Travel Retail COO – Luxury for Asia Sabrina Wang added: “The domestic airport traveller in China is sophisticated, demanding and pressed for time. A strong understanding of trends, an in-depth knowledge of the unique needs of travellers, a reactive approach to merchandising and the flexibility to meet the differentiated needs of the airport environment are the success factors for domestic travel retail in China.
“Our expert merchandising team works hand in hand with our luxury brand partners to ensure consistency in image and service quality.”
Having launched local China operations in 2007, Lagardère Travel Retail is now present in 28 airports and 30 high-speed railway stations in the country. It has a network of over 400 stores across categories including luxury, duty free, travel essentials, specialty retail and food & beverage.
