Japan’s Tokyo Narita International Airport is set to open two new shops this month at Terminal 1.

A Lego unit (110.4sq m) and an American Pharmacy outlet (around 100sq m) will arrive on 13 December and 23 December, respectively, the airport has confirmed.

They will be situated on the fourth floor, landside of the central terminal building.

The additions feed into a wider programme to renew and reorganise the duty free shops and merchandise mix at the terminal, laid down in a mid- to long-term management document and clarified by Narita International Airport Corporation’s (NAA) retailing division in an interview earlier this year.

Alongside improvements at Terminal 1, NAA’s latest retail management plan to 2021 includes an extension of the popular ‘5th Avenue’ shopping precinct at Terminal 2.

FIFTH AVENUE PLANS TO UNVEIL…

An NAA Retailing source confirms the upgrade plans are in place, but was unable to provide further information on newly anticipated shops and brands.

Meanwhile at Terminal 3, NAA intends to expand the floorspace and extend the building in phases, with phase one due to complete before the Tokyo Summer 2020 Olympics and Paralympics (24 July – 9 August).

In the past 16 months, NAA has completed the delivery of 17 new shops in Terminal 1 across an enlarged 2,400sq m footprint.

Total airside and landside retail and F&B sales grew by 15% to JPY143.2bn/$1.29bn in 2018 against international passenger traffic growth of +7% to 35.4 million.

As reported, TRBusiness has learned that stricter inspection procedures at airports in China has dampened the volume of Chinese purchases made at Japan’s airport departure shops.

Tobacco has suffered the largest hit, notably on Iqos cigarettes plus assorted beauty products, according to TRBusiness Asia Correspondent David Hayes.

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