Changi Airport’s retail sector is reporting continuing growth, with overall sales increasing since last year, and in January reaching nearly 60 per cent of 2019 levels.
Travellers from Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand are the top spenders at Changi Airport. The most popular product categories were spirits and tobacco, fragrances and cosmetics, and luxury.
Collaboration with brands is one of Changi Airport’s retail growth initiatives. According to the airport, with the reopening of Terminal 4 (T4) and the southern wing of Terminal 2 (T2), leasing activities for Changi Airport’s airside concessions “saw a significant ramp up” last year.
Along with the launch of three luxury stores – Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co – at Terminal 1, the largest Bacha Coffee store in the world with a duplex store was also unveiled at Terminal 3. Both the Canadian company Lululemon and the Korean streetwear label ADLV have recently opened airport stores.
Changi Airport says it is transforming retail space to improve the shopping and dining experience, the most recent example being the renovation of T1’s Departure Transit Hall’s Central Piazza, completed last year.
To engage customers, Changi Airport is focusing on building omnichannel experiences. Changi Shopping Concierge, a 24-hour complimentary service aimed at passengers who seek a tailored shopping experience, can be used for cross-terminal purchasing.
The airport has also improved e-commerce shopping through its platform iShopChangi and digital app iChangi.
Changi Airport’s retail sector saw indications of revival earlier this year, with SG$1.1 billion (US$823.4 million) in sales recorded last year after Singapore removed Covid-related border restrictions in April.
