CHINA (MACAU). Duty Free Americas today inaugurated the second-phase refurbishment of its store at The Venetian Macau Resort Hotel during a formal opening ceremony attended by co-owners Jerome and Simon Falic, their wives Debbie and Jana, and senior brand representatives.
Las Vegas Sands Corp Executive Vice President of Global Retail David Sylvester and Sands China Senior Vice President of Retail Timothy Jones were also in attendance.
The Moodie Davitt Report was on hand to provide exclusive coverage from the opening, which included the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony and a spectacular Lion Dance.
As we reported, an earlier upgrade – of 6,500sq ft within the overall 11,500sq ft space – was completed in December 2017. That project, which included adding an extra 1,500sq ft to the footprint, drove a doubling of sales in 2018. Today’s second phase opening highlighted the injection of new brands and concepts (see below) and stylishly reworked retail space.
The Sands Group and DFA recently agreed a new five-year contract, while the retailer also captured the prized accolade of Best Store Performance – General Retail Award at the Sands Retail Awards 2018.
“With over 30 million visitors and rising, we are fortunate to enjoy what we feel is the number-one location in the entire area” – Jerome Falic
Duty Free Americas CEO Jerome Falic welcomed guests to the opening and said, “We’re extremely proud to present to you all these world-class brands with their latest designs and their world-class products.”
Falic said that the opening would not have been possible without the strong support the company had received from its brand partners and the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel, which he described as “the number-one destination in all of Macau”.
He continued, “With over 30 million visitors and rising, we are fortunate to enjoy what we feel is the number-one location in the entire area.”
[Click on the Podcast icon to hear Jerome and Simon Falic talk about the significance of today’s opening and the thinking that underpinned it]
Jerome Falic told The Moodie Davit Report today: “It’s always exciting to be out in Asia which, as everyone knows in the business, is really booming. It’s quite a bit different from other areas where we have shops. The merchandise mix is very different here.
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“We refurbished and expanded one side [the DFA store is split into two sections with a public walkway through the centre] in December 2017, going from 500sq m to 650sq m. Then we started work on planning the other side to see what brands we would change in terms of merchandise, and what new brands we were going to bring in. And here we are today.
“This is our third or fourth renovation since we started, every time bringing in bigger and better brands and the latest and greatest in Asia.”
Amid the changes, which have resulted in the injection of new beauty brands and enhanced space for others, a new shop-in-shop from LVMH-owned brand Fresh was opened today. New brands include Decorté (currently a Macau travel retail exclusive for Duty Free Americas) from Japanese beauty house Kose Corporation; a debut for fellow Japanese label Pola; and the addition of Korean brand su:m37 from LG Household & Health Care (whose The History of Whoo is already a best-seller).
Other highlights included a much-expanded and relocated SK-II zone; a new-look Dior design; significantly enhanced space and appearance for many of the world’s major and emergent beauty brands; and an elegant boutique space for Hennessy Cognac and Moët & Chandon from Moët Hennessy.
*Look out for an extended interview with Jerome and Simon Falic in The Moodie Davitt Report Print & Online Magazine to be published at TFWA World Exhibition next month in Cannes.
