Dufry and HDH open first shop together in Hainan
The collaboration between Dufry and Hainan Development Holdings (HDH) has produced a new shop now open at the Mova Mall in Haikou’s city center, called Global Duty Free Plaza (GDF Plaza). The shop opened on January 31, 2021, in time for the Chinese Spring festival.
Shoppers at GDF Plaza may choose from a strong selection of internationally renowned brands and local premium labels covering all core categories such as perfume & cosmetics, food and confectionery, wine & spirits and sunglasses. The shop also offers an online reserve and collect service, allowing shoppers to pre-order their favorite products.
As a popular tourist destination with a large duty free allowance for Chinese nationals of 100.000 RMB (approx. US$14,000) per year, Hainan is an attractive location for duty free operators. The new Mova Mall duty-free shop is the first one opened as a strategic partnership between Dufry and Hainan Development Holdings.
The partnership with Hainan Development Holdings is part of Dufry’s growth strategy in Asia. The company already has a long-standing footprint in China, operating travel retail businesses in China since 2008. Dufry manages duty-paid shops at the Shanghai Hong Qiao and Chengdu Airports, and the retailer’s presence in Greater China also extends to Hong Kong and Macau
Opening in three phases
This shop opening is the first phase of the operationalization of the Mova Mall complex. More openings are planned in Q3 2021 and in Q1 2022. Once completed, the complex will comprise two buildings, Aquarius and Capricorn, with 38,920 square meters of retail space. An additional range of top luxury and lifestyle brands will be engaged in Phase 2 and 3, offering over 350 brands.
The Mova Mall complex welcomed 22 million visitors in 2019; the destination is a major draw in Haikou’s city center, featuring not only a vast area of shopping, but also dining and entertainment facilities. Additionally, over 2,500 luxury hotel rooms are within walking distance.
Julian Diaz, Dufry Group CEO, commented: “We are proud to see the first shop of our collaboration with Hainan Development Holdings now welcoming customers, who enjoy shopping in this attractive environment offering unique experiences. The combination of Hainan Development Holding’s in-depth understanding of the local market with Dufry’s global duty-free expertise, customer behavior insights and access to all the renowned global brands creates a unique combination of skills contributing to the successful development of this promising business. We are looking forward to continue our collaboration with HDH and identify further duty-free opportunities in the fast-growing Hainan market.”
