King Power and Aotea plan for downtown duty-free

Gavin Lipsith

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The two companies expect their joint venture to start operating downtown duty-free from selected Aotea stores in New Zealand shortly

King Power Group (Hong Kong) and New Zealand gifts and souvenirs retailer Aotea are to enter the New Zealand downtown duty-free market, the two companies have confirmed. The joint venture has already examined recent opportunities at Wellington and Sydney airports, and said it expected the new off-airport business to begin shortly.
 
King Power managing director of duty-free and travel-retail Sunil Tuli told DFNI Asia that the venture would begin operating a duty-free section in Aotea's Auckland store, located near DFS Group's downtown outlet. The store will offer a range of luxury goods for delivery to the airport, said Tuli. He anticipated that the group would also open similar ventures at Aotea outlets in Queenstown and Christchurch.

Tuli added that the joint venture formalised a strong and long-lasting relationship between the companies. "I have personally known [Aotea chairman] Peter Hanson for many years, and was always keen to do business with them, knowing of the potential due to their customer base and their excellent locations. Peter is with us in Singapore for the TFWA Asia Pacific show, and we will have discussions with some of our partners and suppliers, as we expect to start the business shortly."
 
Hanson added: "Our business in New Zealand has focused on the traveler to New Zealand, and we offer an excellent opportunity of shopping to them. It was a natural progression for us to enter the duty free market as an extension to our existing offer, and we are delighted with our association with King Power"
 
Keep an eye on RavenFox.com for more details.