Editor’s Note
This article highlights Lotte Duty Free’s strategy of expanding its luxury offerings, exemplified by the arrival of Italian fine jewelry brand FOPE’s first Korean duty-free boutique. It underscores the sustained consumer demand for high-end watches and jewelry in the travel retail sector.
Lotte Duty Free is attracting a variety of brands tailored to current trends to increase customers’ shopping satisfaction. In particular, it is striving to attract and promote premium brands as customers’ shopping preferences for watches and jewelry continue to rise despite high exchange rates.
On September 12, Italy’s fine jewelry brand FOPE opened its first duty-free shop in Korea at Lotte Duty Free’s Myeongdong headquarters. FOPE, which began in 1929 in an artisan workshop in Vicenza, Italy, is a notable fine jewelry brand today, known for designs that combine contemporary sensibility and innovative technology based on historic tradition.
The FOPE shop at Lotte Duty Free’s Myeong-dong main branch was designed with inspiration from the roof of the Basilica Palladiana, a representative structure of Vicenza, a city symbolizing FOPE’s heritage. It creates a luxurious and sophisticated atmosphere using the brand’s signature color “Green” as its main tone. The shop will also introduce special exclusive jewelry available only at Lotte Duty Free’s Myeongdong headquarters for the first time in Korea.
The Italian luxury jewelry brand “Pomellato,” founded in Milan in 1967, operates its only Korean duty-free shop at the Myeongdong headquarters of Lotte Duty Free. Pomellato, which has recently gained more attention from famous celebrities, is a jewelry brand popular with foreign customers, including Chinese shoppers. It is well known for its unique design, colorful gemstones, and elegant yet unconventional style. Each piece is hand-made by more than 100 skilled craftsmen at the headquarters in Milan, ensuring the highest craftsmanship and modern sensibility.
Recommended items from “Pomellato” are the Nudo Ring and the Iconica Ring. The Nudo Sky Blue Classic Ring offers a special presence by combining the sophistication of Sky Blue Topaz with the brilliant glow of white diamonds, showcasing Pomellato’s signature gemstone cutting technique. The Iconica multicolor cocktail ring is set with various gemstones such as rubies and pink sapphires to add colorful light and personality, making it a standout piece for any style.
Swiss High-End Watch & Jewelry Maison Chopard can be found at Lotte Duty Free’s Myeong-dong headquarters, World Tower branch, and Jeju branch. Based on innovative design and craftsmanship, Chopard has secured a unique status worldwide in high jewelry and watches. It introduced the Happy Diamond Collection, born in 1976, as well as the Ice Cube Collection and the L.U.C. Collection. The brand produces its best watch and jewelry collections annually at its Manufacture, which boasts over 150 years of its own production base and 45 technical specializations. Notably, the popular Chopard wedding ring line, Ice Cube, is available exclusively at Lotte Duty Free’s Jeju branch among duty-free shops.
Lotte Duty Free opened the Swiss high-end watchmaking house “Breguet” on the 11th floor of its Myeong-dong headquarters in early August. Breguet’s boutique, which holds over 200 patents and has set new standards in watchmaking, is decorated with an elegant and warm atmosphere unique to the brand. The new boutique features representative popular models such as the ‘Reine de Naples 8918’, ‘Classique Moonphase 7787’, ‘Tradition 7057’, and ‘Marine 5517 Titanium’.
Furthermore, Lotte Duty Free renewed its Boucheron store in Myeong-dong in May. France’s High Jewelry Maison Boucheron has consistently received favorable responses from domestic and foreign customers since becoming the first domestic duty-free shop to operate offline stores at its Myeong-dong headquarters and Jeju branches in 2018.
On July 1, the Italian high-end jewelry brand Damiani entered the Busan branch. This marks Damiani’s first entry into a non-metropolitan duty-free shop. In August, the Damiani store in Myeong-dong also enhanced its shopping environment through a renewal, moving from the existing 11th floor to the 10th floor and approximately doubling its area.
Additionally, sales of exclusive brands in the duty-free industry, such as Chaumet, Fred, and Messika, are also showing strong performance.
Lotte Duty Free, which hosts the largest portfolio of fashion, watch, and jewelry brands in Korea, is offering LDF PAY benefits of up to 1.51 million won on weekdays and up to 1.69 million won on Friday and Saturday weekends, based on payment method and purchase amount, at its downtown stores until October 31.
Furthermore, through a lottery for Korean customers who purchase over $300 at Lotte Duty Free’s downtown stores during the event period, the following prizes will be awarded: ▲1st Prize: French luxury jewelry brand “Dinh Van” Menotte Bracelet (1 winner) ▲2nd Prize: LDF PAY 50,000 won (3 winners) ▲3rd Prize: Lotte Hotel Basque Cheesecake (5 winners).