Haneda Airport Tokyo International Air Terminal is booming with five more boutique openings this month, as tax free growth overtakes duty free.

 

Victoria’s Secret, Montblanc, Tumi, Fashion Boutique and the first Jimmy Choo boutique in Japan will all open their doors as a result of customer demand.

 

This has been made possible thanks to increasing long haul and Asian regional routes delivering high numbers of quality spenders at Haneda, especially Chinese travellers, according to Hideki Hayashi, TIAT’s Vice President for Sales and Marketing talking exclusively to TRBusiness..

 

“April to July has been very good. Both passenger numbers and combined duty free and tax free sales are up by 40%, but tax free are better than duty free sales,” he said.

 

Several more new duty free shops and boutiques are expected to open by the end of this month in the new extension and main departure shopping area, as TIAT fast tracks the expansion of the terminal’s shopping, F&B and airline lounge facilities to accommodate the huge anticipated increase in passengers.

 

 

 

 

DOUBLING DAY-TIME FLIGHTS

Arriving and departing passenger numbers could grow by just over 50% in 2014, with the doubling of day-time international flight slots and the opening of the new extension. TIAT is forecasting 12.5m arriving and departing international passengers for 2014 representing a 56% increase.

 

To handle additional flights, the TIAT terminal extension project has involved the construction of eight new flight gates, increasing the total to 18. Under previous regulations TIAT was limited to 30,000 day-time flights and 30,000 night-time flights a year. But the recent increase in day-time flight slots follows the government’s announcement back in 2010 to increase the number of international flight slots permitted annually at Haneda Airport by another 30,000 from 2014.

 

Previously, Haneda was permitted to operate 40 day-time international flight slots. Under the new regulations it can operate up to 80 – a big change that is which is already generating substantial increased passenger traffic and growing sales in TIAT’s duty free shops and other retail outlets.

 

Commenting on the new boutique openings, Hayashi also pointed out that TIAT also opened four new duty free shops and a tax free store in the new extension on March 30, when the extension opened for commercial service [as reported by TRB at the time-Ed].

 

“We have 15 brand boutiques now; we are adding four more brand boutiques on September 19. These are worldwide global brands. Victoria’s Secret will be the brand’s first boutique in Japan and not just in duty free. It’s not our first lingerie boutique as we have Wacoal of Japan next to Samantha Thavasa in a boutique.

 

 

 

 

CHINESE ARE BIGGEST SPENDERS

“In fact, lingerie is not the target for Victoria’s Secret, as perfume, cosmetics, accessories, bags, wallets and other small items are popular with Japanese teenage girls and young ladies. It’s a first time in Japan, so we will see who is buying these items.

 

“This will be the first Jimmy Choo airport boutique in Japan. It’s famous not only with Japanese, but also Chinese customers. The bouquet will be over 60sq m,” Hayashi said. “We have chosen two new brands for duty free which are famous worldwide and that Japanese people want to buy. Jimmy Choo is already in Japanese department stores and is popular with Japanese and Chinese customers.”

 

Meanwhile, Tumi is being moved from a back wall display corner in TIAT’s Duty Free Shop Central to its own boutique covering almost 50sq m in the north wing area that was previously occupied by the TIAT North Wing boutique, sub-leased by JAL-DFS.

 

“We will replace Tumi with a Victorianox corner in the TIAT central shop. It’s the same category – for travellers and it’s a popular brand,” Hayashi remarked. Montblanc will also occupy a 50sq m boutique, situated adjacent to the new Tumi boutique.

 

“Montblanc had a section in the old TIAT North Wing boutique, so we decided to have a separate Montblanc boutique as it is a famous brand,” said Hayashi. “We wanted our own Montblanc boutique to attract male business travellers. Our Tumi and Montblanc boutiques are side by side.”