Dufry and the Estée Lauder Group have unveiled a new 54sq m La Mer boutique at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Terminal 2.

The opening is a new space for Dufry, following the contract award in February this year, and highlights its ambitious expansion plans for China travel retail.

The retailer has been present in Shanghai Hongqiao since 2008, and currently operates Hermès, Cartier, Montblanc and Tod’s luxury boutiques at the location.

La Mer’s duty paid debut

The Shanghai location is La Mer’s first stand-alone store in China’s duty paid travel retail channel. The new boutique, which carries the brand’s upscale skincare, body care and makeup lines, aims to deliver an immersive luxury experience for travellers.

Beauty Advisors at the store offer makeup lessons, hand massages and travel-focused skin and body care advice, in addition to tailored consultations supported by advanced diagnostic digital tools.

Dufry President & CEO APAC Freda Cheung commented: “Asia Pacific is a key growth region for Dufry, and part of the geographical expansion named as one of the four pillars of our exciting Destination 2027 strategy to revolutionise the travel experience.

“Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is a key hub for domestic passengers as well as a gateway to the world, and we are confident that this collaboration, building on our current offer at this location, is a great step towards achieving our goals, that include bringing the best travel experience for our customers.

“Our thanks to our partners at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and the Estée Lauder team, we look forward to continuing and building on our collaboration into the future.”

Dufry Commercial Manager China Lilian Han noted: “This boutique, created with one of the region’s best-loved beauty brands, is on point, modern and timeless and will bring the La Mer experience to another level for our passengers.

“We are very proud of what has been achieved and look forward to welcoming customers to this beautiful La Mer experience. We thank Estée Lauder for their continued trust and collaboration.”

Estée Lauder La Mer China Head of Business Development Lawrence Zhu added: “Congratulations on La Mer’s Opening at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport T2, which is our first presence at China’s duty paid travel retail platform.

“We are very proud to partner with Dufry for such a stunning boutique. A luxury experience with La Mer’s most loved assortments and services are provided for travellers before starting their journey.”

Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Management Co Ltd General Manager Retail Management Department Dicky Cheung concluded: “We are delighted to welcome La Mer, the first stand-alone boutique in China’s duty paid domestic airports which is being operated by Dufry, to join Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai to offer passengers an elevated skincare experience.

“We have established a long-term partnership with Dufry for various categories, and we are looking forward to having more new concepts and prestigious brands in the coming future.”

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