Hong Kong Airport augments luxury zone with Brunello Cucinelli and Qeelin

A total of 31 brands are now trading at HKIA’s luxury zone.

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) has confirmed the arrival of new stores at Hong Kong International Airport’s (HKIA) luxury zone.

Opened on 28 September, a new Brunello Cucinelli store measuring approximately 560sq ft offers a selection of so-called ‘quiet luxury’ fashion items, while a 370sq ft Qeelin store set to open in due course will enrich the jewellery offer.

Meanwhile, existing units from Tiffany & Co. and Valentino are due to be relocated, while Prada will extend its footprint.

The changes, which also take in fresh entrants from Bacha Coffee and Venchi in the fine food category, expect to complete before Christmas.

AAHK issued a 14-unit tender earlier this year to attract brands to its luxury zone and is in the process of finalising the remaining tenancies, TRBusiness has learned.

The majority of the retail contracts run on five-year terms, while fine food tenancies are being leased for three years.

“Moving forward, we will focus on recruiting more on-trend and sought-after retail and F&B brands to enrich our offerings,” Lois Chan, Assistant General Manager, Retail Portfolio, AAHK (pictured below) told TRBusiness.

“By strategically selecting brands that resonate with current consumer preferences, we aim to create a diverse and appealing airport shopping experience.”

500k+ members on loyalty programme

Sweet Dreams by Heinemann at HKIA.

As reported, the airport welcomed several flagship duplex stores from Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Chanel in 2022 following refurbishments at the East Hall luxury zone.

In recent years, HKIA has introduced a digital ‘Luxury Concierge’ service with a dedicated team on hand to connect with consumers via WhatsApp, WeChat and video call to help clients shop before they arrive at the airport.

Seventeen labels are available via the platform, including sought-after haute couture labels such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Loro Piana and IWC Schaffhausen.

HKIA offers gate delivery within 90 minutes, or free delivery to 15 different global destinations with a purchase of HK$1,000/US$128 or more.

“Our online luxury concierge service had been doing well, where we provide online support for shoppers to reserve products, receive shopping advice and also make purchases through our online platform,” commented Chan.

“We also offer personalised service for our customers, including home and gate delivery,” she continued, adding that since launching the HKairport Rewards loyalty programme in late 2022, it has gained more than half a million members, which is helping to power targeted marketing campaigns.

Elsewhere, Chan updates that HKIA’s duty free and travel retailer tenants China Duty Free and The Shilla Duty Free, which operate the Duty Zero and Beauty & You shop fascias, respectively, and Heinemann’s Sweet Dreams confectionery concept – are “all doing well given our traffic recovery is on a steady track”.

HKIA handled approximately 4.92 million passengers in August, up +23% year-on-year.

In the first eight months of the year, passenger volume rose 43.5% year-on-year to 34.9 million.

“We expect to fully recover our passenger level on peak days by end of the year and project 2024 full year passenger traffic reaching 60 million,” affirmed Chan.

HKIA served 40 million passengers in 2023, a 600% surge on the previous year. The airport previously said it expected passenger traffic to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024.

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