State-owned China Duty Free Group and the Shanghai Railway Bureau have agreed a deal to continue their retail cooperation on the Shanghai Hongqiao commercial high-speed rail project until 10 May 2019.

The retail contract, up for renewal in May, was started in January 2013, following the Chinese duty free and travel retail operator winning the bid to operate the retail space at Shanghai’s high-speed rail Hongqiao station departure area which first opened in August 2012. It has a commercial floor space of nearly 6,000sq m and is one of the world’s largest integrated transport hubs and the largest rail station in Asia. It serves more than 200,000 people daily.

Since then, CDFG has been responsible for the business planning, layout formats, store and brand selections and the travel retailer describes the project as “the banner for the domestic rail business”. CDFG also claims that revenue growth for the business has been more than +15% annually between 2013 and 2015.

In the new three-year period, CDFG plans to further enhance the overall retail business and quality at the Hongqiao high-speed rail station, adding new brands to keep it in pole position as the nation’s high-speed rail leader.

Shanghai Hongqiao railway station is the biggest in Asia. [Picture by Bergmann.]