Lotte Duty Free has launched its liquor and tobacco concession in the departure hall of Gimpo International Airport with a temporary store, signalling the start of its exclusive integrated operation of the duty free areas for international flights at the South Korea hub.

Lotte was selected as the operator in the competitive bidding process for the liquor, tobacco and other (DF2) business rights in March this year, with the contract running until 2031.

The temporary store opened on 17 April to ‘minimise customer inconvenience’ as operations commence.

The store offers a variety of world-class whiskies such as Johnnie Walker, Ballantine’s and Royal Salute, as well as a variety of spirits including Kavalan, The Balvenie and Suntory.

Among the tobacco brands available are KT&G, Philip Morris, BAT and JTI.

As the temporary store opened, construction of the final official store simultaneously began.

Lotte Duty Free plans to complete the comprehensive store renewal in Q4 2024.

Once the refurbishment of the liquor and tobacco store is completed, Lotte’s footprint at the hub will span a total area of 444 pyeong (around 1,467 sqm).

This includes its existing cosmetics and perfume store at Gimpo – the result of winning the 10-year concession for cosmetics, perfumes, and others (DF1) in October 2021.

“Lotte Duty Free will continue to enhance the benefits experienced by customers at Gimpo Airport by planning differentiated promotions,” said Lotte Duty Free CEO Ju Nam Kim.

“We will introduce a variety of products and pop-up stores that will enhance the shopping experience of our customers.”

The number of international passengers at Gimpo International Airport  reached approximately 930,000 in Q1 2024, up 74% from the previous year, according to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport statistics.

During the same period, sales at Lotte Duty Free’s Gimpo Airport Branch, and its cosmetics and perfume stores doubled, demonstrating a strong continuation of its recovery.

Lotte Duty Free plans to capitalise on this momentum with events that create synergy between the items in the stores to maximise benefits for shoppers.

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