DENMARK. Danish fashion jewellery house Pilgrim has made a successful debut in the prestigious downtown duty free market in South Korea and announces further openings.
Through its local partner, SE International, Pilgrim opened an 8.5sq m concept outlet at Lotte Sogong in Chung-ku, Seoul at the end of May, and early next month will open a second location at Shilla Hotel Seoul.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
| Pilgrim at Lotte Sogong in Chung-ku, Seoul, South Korea | |
“We are so excited about this new opening,” said Pilgrim Sales Director Asia Judith Hasson. “We have been given a remarkable location in-store and have three dedicated staff serving at the Pilgrim counters.”
Sang oak Han, Managing Director of SE International, commented: “Although Pilgrim is new to the market, it is already proving to be one of the most exciting emerging brands in Korea.”
According to recent sales figures and feedback from the buyers, the most popular collections include Happy Faces, Romantica, Flowered by Pilgrim and Urban Jungle, all from the Spring 2006 collection.
“Pilgrim’s romantic and feminine themes with bright colours and images are starting to appeal to Korean customers who are more sensitive to trends than any other market in Asia,” added Han.
The first sales report at Lotte Sogong has exceeded the team’s expectations and with several new promotions planned, including advertising and marketing, sales are expected to grow.
“We will run with promotions, including some within our clients’ catalogue to enhance brand awareness among Japanese. The number of Japanese customers is only 20% in Pilgrim, while in other brands, it’s around 40%,” said Han.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
| Mette Rohrdanz (top left) Key Account Manager, Travel Retail, and Judith Hasson (top right), Sales Director Asia, show off the Pilgrim summer collection at the TFWA Asia Pacific exhibition in May 2006 Photos by Salina Christmas | |
Looking ahead to further openings in the region, Hasson is confident that Pilgrim will become one of the fastest-growing fashion jewellery brands in South Korea. “We are keen to move forward and have every confidence in our local partners. With them we are planning to open more shops at Shilla Seoul very soon and with Jeju Duty Free Center (JDC) and SKM Seoul in the third quarter of this year. We are planning to have a shop at JDC, in particular, which targets for Korean nationals who travel to Jeju.”
The duty free allowance of US$300 per person makes costume jewellery very attractive to customers, according to Han.
Commenting on the potential for the Danish brand in South Korea, Han added: “The Korean duty free market is valued at over US$2 billion and is ranked number one in the region. We see huge potential for Pilgrim in Korea and are confident we will see many new openings throughout the year.”
For details, contact Pilgrim Travel Retail, Marianne Salomon, Travel Retail Director, e-mail mas@pilgrim.dk, or Judith Hasson, Sales Director Asia, on e-mail jh@pilgrim.dk
MORE STORIES ON PILGRIM
Heroic Pilgrim starts summer on a retail high – 30/06/06
Pilgrim reports excellent response in US duty free market – 06/04/06
Pilgrim dares to show its fresh face for Spring – 01/03/06
Pilgrim develops fresh concept for duty free as business continues to grow – 17/11/05
