China Duty Free Group (CDFG) has opened its fifth mainland China downtown duty free shop in Shanghai.

The new store, which is located at S2 Shangshu, Shangyue West Plaza, No. 12-2 Jimo Road, Pudong New Area, bolsters CDFG’s downtown presence in Qingdao, Xiamen, Dalian and Beijing.

In a statement, CDFG says it was ‘imperative’ to open duty free operations in a city often described as a key Chinese gateway and major financial, economic, trade and technology centre.

Spanning 874.4sq m over two floors, the shop sells perfumes & cosmetics, sunglasses, watches, fashion and other duty free items, including many international brands.

CLARION CALL FOR TAX FREE STANDARDS

Additional services include click-and-collect and a function for overseas visitors leaving the country to pick up goods from the airport on departure.

Heightened demand for infrastructure investment to meet rising tourism numbers matched with China’s ambitious ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative also influenced the decision to open.

Backed by parent company China International Travel Service (CITS), CDFG says it ‘actively responds to the call of the country to accelerate the upgrading of tourism consumption’.

CDFG’s Shanghai duty free downtown shop spans 874.4sq m over two floors.

“The duty free shops in Shanghai will focus on enhancing the commercial image of Shanghai’s duty-free business and setting a new benchmark for tax free retailing in international metropolises,” said CDFG.

“In the future, CDFG will continue to leverage its resource advantages with its parent company, China Travel Group, to continuously strengthen its core capabilities and upgrade the operation of the tax-free sector to a new level.”

Last week, CDFG announced it had inaugurated its first downtown store in Hong Kong.

In addition to its downtown duty free shops, CDFG operates offshore duty free businesses at Haitang Bay Sanya in Hainan and at Haikou and Bo’ao, plus an extensive network of airport shops at Beijing Capital, Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Macau, among others.

It is also primed to open shops at Beijing’s new Daxing International Airport later this year.