The Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) announced that as of December 17, the sales volume of its duty free shop broke 2 trillion won for the first time in the world. (image: Kobiz Media / Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) – The duty free shop at Incheon International Airport accumulated more than 2 trillion won (US$1.8 billion) in sales this year, ranking first in the world.
The Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) announced that as of December 17, the sales volume of its duty free shop broke 2 trillion won for the first time in the world beating out its competitors such as Dubai airport and other mega-sized airports in Europe and North America.
The IIAC suggested that its success in overcoming fewer passengers and a smaller surface area than competing airports such as Dubai airport and Heathrow airport in London came from a customer-friendly shopping environment and sales experts in the shops.
Of note, Chinese customers contributed significantly to the 2 trillion won in sales, as they were responsible for 35 percent of all sales on an annual basis. The IIAC said that the convenient shopping facilities and customer-friendly services attracted Chinese travelers.
The Incheon airport duty free shop is unyieldingly maintaining first place in terms of sales among the world’s airports. Last year, it recorded around 1.9 trillion won (US$1.72 billion) in sales and it is expected to bring in 2.1 trillion won this year.
Park Wan-su, president and CEO of the IIAC, said, “Thanks to the interest and support from our customers, we could achieve this meaningful record for the first time in the world. We will keep providing the best service and products, differentiated events and shopping experience to our customers.”
By John Choi (johnchoi@koreabizwire.com)
