FROM THE EDITOR
A new wonder in the travel retail world
Welcome to this blockbuster edition of The Moodie Davitt Spotlight Series eZine dedicated to the newly opened cdf Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex.
As the name suggests, this long-running publication (launched in 2018) places the spotlight on travel retail projects of special significance. No previous edition has required such a degree of illumination as this one, dedicated as it is to the world’s largest single duty free shopping complex.
When the facility opened on 28 October 2022, I said the occasion represented a defining day for travel retail. Events since, as a glittering roll-call of the world’s finest brands have refined their boutiques or introduced new ones to the China Duty Free Group (CDFG) shopping emporium, have only reinforced that opinion.
More than 800 renowned international and local brands are already part of a stellar and deeply experiential shopping environment with more to follow in coming months.
But as this publication reveals, cdf Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex is far more than a retail proposition. CDFG and its parent company China Tourism Group describe it as a fusion of ‘duty free shopping + culture and tourism’. Even those semantics fail to do both the concept and the ultimate execution justice.
Add in leisure, entertainment and dining. Draw breath and also mention office and hotel space, talent hubs, and exhibitions. And then cite the most extraordinary aspect of the whole facility, AURA, a unique customised atrium built by Dafeng Group and designed by Wētā Workshop, whose Co-Founder Sir Richard Taylor is the subject of an enthralling interview on page 14.
An architectural masterpiece
There’s so much more to say. The architecture of the main building – the wondrous creation of French firm Valode & Pistre Architectes of France – warrants a publication of its own. This vast integration of natural and oceanic elements specific to Hainan province is inspired by the ethereal concept of ‘Iridescent clouds representing happiness and prosperity over the crown jewel of the South China Sea’. Lovely words and an even more beautiful result.
Outstandingly innovative design at every level is at the heart of the project as a whole and of the many brand boutiques featured in this publication. We talk with UK firm The Design Solution about how together with CDFG they created a “revolutionary”, digitally-focused travel retail emporium, featuring an in-store product experience spread across four individual ‘QR rooms’ dedicated to perfumes & cosmetics, mother care, health and wines & spirits.
The concept is specifically designed to address the surge in Chinese shoppers’ digital behaviour that has been such a marked trend during the pandemic. The end result? Take a look in words and glorious images at our feature on page 29.
CDFG Store Planning & Development Department General Manager Kim Zhang articulates the philosophy underpinning the collaboration with The Design Solution, commenting, “The Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex is built on the principle of ‘customer first’ in everything we do and this is reflected in the creation of the cdf Global store.”
Sir Richard Taylor, a world-renowned figure in the creative industries (including his work with fellow New Zealander Peter Jackson on the Lord of the Rings movies) articulates that customer-first focus and the impressive ambition of the project beautifully. “A shopping mall by its very nature has to be hygienic and of course meet all codes and be earthquake-proof and so on. And by its very nature, it has to be a certain thing – a box in which you house retail stores,” he says. “But why shouldn’t it also be an immersive experience that takes you into a fantastical world?”
That is precisely what CDFG and its architectural, construction, design and brand partners have achieved in Haikou in what ranks as a true wonder of the travel retail world.
- Martin Moodie, Founder & Chairman, The Moodie Davitt Report
欢迎阅读《穆迪达维特免税报告》备受好评的Spotlight系列电子期刊。本期重磅版Spotlight杂志将对新开业的 cdf 海口国际免税城进行专题报道。
Spotlight系列于2018年推出，旨在聚焦具有特殊意义的旅游零售项目，而cdf海口这个世界上最大的单一免税购物中心自然值得我们的重点关注。
2022 年 10 月 28 日，cdf海口正式开业，当时我就说这一天是旅游零售业的一个具有决定性意义的日子。自那以后，世界上最顶尖的品牌纷纷进驻，将最前卫、最精致的门店和零售概念带入免税城，更是巩固了cdf海口里程碑式的价值。目前，免税城已有超过 800 个知名的海内外品牌，它们所带来的世界一流、具有深度的零售体验，是cdf海口购物环境的重要组成部分。未来几个月还会有更多品牌加入其行列。
但正如本刊物所揭示的那样，cdf 海口远不止是一个零售目的地。中免集团及其母公司中国旅游集团将其描述为“免税+文旅”的融合，但这也无法完全表达出它在现实中的惊艳程度。
除了零售，免税城还提供休闲、娱乐、餐饮，更有配套的办公及酒店设施、人才中心和会展空间。整个设施最非凡特色莫过于“AURA天际秘林”——这个独特的定制中庭由维塔工作室（Wētā Workshop）设计、大丰集团建造。我们与维塔工作室联合创始人Richard Taylor爵士的访谈，可以在本刊第 14 页上找到。
其实，单单是由法国 Valode & Pistre Architectes 建筑设计事务精心打造的主体建筑，就可以做整整一本杂志。建筑设计以“九州祥云，南海之冠”为主题，巧妙融入了海南本土特有的自然与海洋文化元素，壮观之余不失灵动。
渗入cdf海口每个层面的杰出创新设计，是整个项目以及本刊中介绍的众多品牌精品店的精髓所在。我们与英国公司 The Design Solution 讨论了他们如何和中免集团一起创建一个“具有革命性”、以数字为中心的旅游零售大观园，将店内的产品体验分布于四个独立的“QR 室”，专门用于香化、母婴护理、健康以及酒水。
这个先进概念旨在应对中国消费者不断激增的线上购物行为——这种数字行为在疫情期间成为了零售业的大趋势。The Design Solution的创新结果究竟如何，请阅读在第 28 页的专题文字和精彩图片。
在谈到与 The Design Solution的合作理念时，中免集团门店规划发展部总经理 Kim Zhang说道：“在cdf海口国际免税城，我们所作的每一件事都建立于‘客户至上’的原则之上，这一点在它的创造中就得到了深刻的体现。”
创意产业的泰斗级人物Richard Taylor爵士（他以与同为新西兰人的电影导演Peter Jackson在《指环王》电影系列中的合作而闻名于世）完美地阐明了“客户至上”的原则和cdf海口的勃勃雄心。 “一个购物中心，从本质上来说，必须是一个卫生、符合各种规范、具有抗震能力等等条件的这样一个建筑。它本身作为一个容纳零售店的大盒子，一定得满足各种既定的要求，”他说。 “但除此之外，为什么我们不能更进一步呢？为什么不能把它打造成一个将顾客带入奇幻世界的沉浸式体验呢？”
这正是中免集团及其建筑、施工、设计和品牌合作伙伴的共同愿景，也是他们在海口取得的成就——cdf海口堪称旅游零售界一个名副其实的奇迹。
——《穆迪达维特免税报告》创始人兼董事长Martin Moodie
Chinese viewers can click here to watch
Spotlight Series - February 2023