Lagardère Travel Retail has completed the renovation of the luxury fashion & accessories offer in the domestic terminal at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport.

As reported the retailer has also opened a large-scale luxury offer in the new Chengdu Tianfu International Airport which commenced operations on 27 June 2021.

The upgraded master concession at Shenzhen Bao’an, the third-busiest airport in mainland China includes 18 boutiques spanning over 1,700sq m. The upgraded master concession at Shenzhen Bao’an from Burberry, Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel Beauty & Accessories, Coach, Emporio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, Hugo Boss, Jimmy Choo, Kenzo, MaxMara, MCM, Rimowa, Salvatore Ferragamo, Stuart Weitzman and Tory Burch.

A private lounge and VIP concierge team, along with other exclusive and personal amenities including curbside greeting, expedited check-in formalities and limousine service complete the indulgence of the shopping experience, according to the retailer.

Leveraging its global expertise in airport luxury retail, Lagardère Travel Retail has a large China-based luxury team powering all aspects of the luxury shopping experience.

LOCALISED APPROACH

This localised approach enables the company to meet the expectations of sophisticated Chinese consumers and brand partners in terms of product offer, human resources development, visual merchandising and customer service.

Lagardère says that customers in domestic airports expect consistency of product offer and shopping experience with the luxury offer downtown but are also looking for a merchandise range and shopping experience that is adapted to their fast-paced lifestyle on the move.

Additional openings are planned later this year at Shenzhen Airport where traffic has recovered strongly from the impact of last year’s coronavirus pandemic.

Eudes Fabre, CEO for North Asia at Lagardère Travel Retail said: “We strive for excellence in retail execution, a commitment that is backed by strong investment in our retail footprint, talent development and customer experience.

“We are grateful for the trust of our airport and brand partners that have supported us in bringing this project to life. The expectations of domestic travellers in China are different than in the duty-free channel and on the high-street, so we have developed a bespoke approach to serving this market, backed by our team of over 1,000 luxury retail professionals in China and fully localised supporting functions.

“China has become the most important market for most luxury brands, so we constantly strive to meet the evolving expectations of discerning travellers.”

Sabrina Wang, COO – Luxury for Asia at Lagardère Travel Retail added: “The domestic airport traveller in China is sophisticated, demanding and pressed for time. A strong understanding of trends, an in-depth knowledge of the unique needs of travellers, a reactive approach to merchandising and the flexibility to meet the differentiated needs of the airport environment are the success factors for domestic travel retail in China.

“Our expert merchandising team works hand-in-hand with our luxury brand partners to ensure consistency in image and service quality.”

Having launched local operations in 2007, Lagardere Travel Retail is present in 28 airports and 30 high-speed railway stations in China. It has a network of over 400 stores across categories including luxury, duty free, travel essentials, speciality retail and food & beverage.