Taiwanese duty free operator Ever Rich has nearly completed its downtown Ever Rich Kinmen shopping mall on Kinmen Island.

The huge new store and hotel complex is due to open shortly in Kinhu town on Big Kinmen and in addition to duty free shopping and other retail facilities it will include a multiplex cinema and space for a casino, although no casino licenses for Kinmen Islands have yet been approved.

Duty free shopping facilities will be laid out over five floors occupying approximately 27,000sq m of shop floor and in addition to duty free goods, visitors will be offered a range of souvenirs and other products to buy.

“We will have the international duty free store, Kingfond duty free shop, boutiques and a supermarket in the shopping mall; also, the Kinmen’s first cinema,” said a source on a recent visit by TRBusiness.

“The duty free shop will have four floors of display areas for international tourists flying directly out of the Kinmen Islands. Also, there will be the separate Kingfond duty free shop and supermarket for visitors taking domestic flights.”

Currently an opening date for the downtown pre-order duty free shop has still to be announced, but it is expected to take place before mid-year. The shopping mall opening will be followed later in the year by the complex’s 281-bedroom hotel opening which is expected to take place some time during Q4 2014.

 

 

Ever Rich’s wines and spirits area at Taoyuan Airport, Terminal 1 [Photo credit: TRBusiness/David Hayes].

MORE THAN 1M CHINESE VISITORS
The Kinmen Islands, which remain under Taiwanese administration – despite lying only 10km offshore from China’s port city of Xiamen – have a population of 110,000 people, but attract over one million Mainland Chinese visitors a year.

Some mainland visitors, taking the short 60-minute ferry crossing are attracted by the islands’ history and mountainous scenery, while others arrive to take low cost onward internal flights to Taipei and go on to visit Taiwan.

Visitors from Xiamen visiting Kinmen do not require a visa for visits of less than 72 hours.

The Ever Rich Kinmen duty free shopping mall will be similar in design to Ever Rich’s Neihu downtown store in Taipei. A well lit modern international interior design theme with marble flooring will be used on each of the five sales floors where ceiling heights will range from 5.5m to 6m.

International travellers will take an escalator from the entrance lobby to the 5,090sq m fourth floor where Taiwanese specialities, jewellery, and liquor and tobacco will be displayed.

The shopping route then descends by escalator to the 5,020sq m third floor, where perfumes and cosmetics, fashion accessories and watches will be displayed. Luxury brand boutiques will be located on the 5,400sq m second floor and the 6,430sq m first floor.

 

Ever Rich at Taoyuan Airport, Terminal 1 [Photo credit: TRBusiness/David Hayes].

 

CHINESE CUSTOMERS ARE MAIN TARGET
“Chinese visitors will be the main customers in the international duty free shopping area. There will be a big watches section where watch boutiques will be located,” the source explained. “Chinese travellers and tour groups will be the main customers using our duty free shopping and hotel complex. In future we will have conferences and install a cosmetic surgery clinic in the hotel area.

“Most Chinese visitors will come by ferry and Taiwanese visitors by domestic flights.”

As part of government policy to encourage domestic tourism in the Kinmen Islands, Taiwanese visitors have an NT$6,000 shopping allowance per visit for up to 12 visits a year.

“Our Kingfond duty free shop for domestic visitors will have all duty free categories. Prices will be the same as in the international duty free shop section,” the source explained. “We expect liquor and tobacco will be most popular, as the shopping limit is NT$6,000 for domestic customers; people who want duty free watches tend to buy high priced models and not average price watches.”

 

The entrance to the new store and hotel, as drawn by an artist. Exterior view: top image.

 

FIFTH FLOOR DUTY FREE SHOP
The Kingfond duty free shop will be located on the 5,080sq m fifth floor which it will share with a supermarket selling Taiwanese and other products expected to appeal to domestic and mainland travellers visiting the duty free shopping centre.

“We are now planning the Kingfond duty free shop layout. Perfume and cosmetics, and fashion will have the biggest space; probably there will be some boutiques, but it will depend on the floor area available,” the source said.

“Both the duty free shop and the supermarket will share the floor space about equally. Ours will be the second supermarket to open in Kinmen Islands.”