Kansai Airports Retail & Services formed a partnership with Lagardère Travel Retail to supply the new Duty Free walk through store at Kansai Airport Terminal 1
Kansai Airports Retail & Services (“KRS”, based in Izumisano City, Osaka; Representative Director and President Fumio Owada) and Lagardère Travel Retail (based in Levallois-Perret, France; CEO Dag Rasmussen) are delighted to announce the partnership to supply products for and to strengthen the operation of the new Duty Free store at Kansai International Airport Terminal 1.
Kansai International Airport (“KIX”) opened in 1994 and is the largest international airport in western Japan. KIX has been carrying out a large-scale renovation of Terminal 1 for the first time since its opening to accommodate the ever-increasing international traffic. With this renovation, the capacity of the international area will be enhanced, and the commercial area will be expanded. The new international area is set to open on December 5, 2023 with the grand opening in spring 2025. With the upcoming Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai is expected to see a significant increase in travelers.
Being one of the largest walk-through Duty Free shops in Japan's international airports and strategically located, this new Duty Free store will see 100% of international passengers pass through it. Customers will be able to enjoy new brands and experiences and authentic Japanese taste over a surface of 2.500 square meters.
Lagardère Travel Retail’s strengths include the presence it has built in the Japanese market and its strong understanding of both Asian and international travelers. Lagardère Travel Retail will supply a vast range of high-end, globally recognized brands in beauty, liquor, tobacco and confectionary categories and introduce new brands such as Maison Margiela or Valentino for the first time in the Japanese Duty Free market. Lagardère Travel Retail will also support KRS in developing new shopping experiences through KRS’s dedicated brand activation spaces. In parallel, KRS will develop a carefully curated selection of local brands to highlight and promote the Japanese culture and craftmanship.
Post COVID-19, the international recovery has been very strong. Japan is the top international destination in Asia and KIX is ideally located to capture a great part of that potential. The long-term perspectives are also strong, leveraging the Osaka 2025 Expo to further enhance the attractivity of the destination. These perspectives make KRS and LTR confident for the future of their partnership.
Commenting on the announcement, Fumio Owada, KRS Representative Director and President, said: “This walk-through duty-free store is positioned as a critical store in providing worthwhile and enhanced shopping experiences to our customers in the new international area. We are looking forward to maximizing the business values of this duty-free store with this new partnership with Lagardère Travel Retail Japan with its international insight and expertise and its extensive network.”
Commenting on this announcement, Keith Tam, CEO of Lagardère Travel Retail North Asia, said: “We see tremendous growth prospects for the Duty Free market in Japan and we are very excited to have the opportunity to co-create a bespoke partnership with KRS. The Kansai Core Duty Free will bring many innovations to the Japanese DutyFree landscape and will offer unique features designed to elevate the overall passenger experience at the airport. An extraordinary selection of brands has been curated to offer customers the optimal choice.”
