Lotte Duty Free (Lotte DF) has opened a ‘Ginza Friends’ character shop at its Ginza branch in Tokyo, Japan, targeting the global MZ generation (referring to both millennials and Gen Z born between 1980 and 2005).

The Korean travel retailer has renovated the eighth floor of the downtown store located on Ginza Street in Tokyo, Japan and opened a character store, replete with intellectual properties from popular culture such as: Bellygom; Luffy; Mujik Tiger; One Piece; Demon Slayer and Naruto.

Lotte DF noted its Tokyo Ginza branch is in the process of reorganising its product structure to focus on the preferences of Chinese group tourists, installing a concept which can accommodate multi-national individual travellers from Korea, Japan, and China.

Lotte DF said it has transformed the area post-pandemic, which now consists of existing boutiques and mid-priced brands, into a familiar store filled with character toys and accessories.

The product mix, which focused on the preferences of Chinese group tourists who boasted high purchasing power before COVID-19, was expanded to a concept that can encompass multi-national customers such as Korea, Japan, and China, and all age groups.

Japan’s tax exemption system is divided into tax free, which exempts only the consumption tax, and ‘duty free’, which exempts both import duties and consumption taxes.

As such the eighth floor of Lotte Duty Free Tokyo Ginza branch was transformed into a ‘tax free’ space featuring characters, fashion, and miscellaneous goods, while the ninth floor was transformed into a ‘duty free’ store specialising in cosmetics, perfume, and alcoholic beverage categories.

Daehyun Ahn, head of Lotte Duty Free’s global business division, said: “We have opened a store specialising in popular characters that can be familiar to tourists from all over the world.

We hope that many customers will visit the Lotte Duty Free Tokyo Ginza branch, which has been renovated after 8 years, and have an enjoyable shopping experience.”

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