Editor’s choice I
CDFG accelerates downtown duty-free expansion drive
In these pages we highlight some memorable openings, campaigns, launches and other events across the world of travel retail. We begin by featuring the landmark store inauguration by China Duty Free Group.
China Duty Free Group (CDFG) unveiled downtown duty-free stores in Guangzhou and Shenzhen on 26 August, advancing its strategy to expand city-centre retail across the country.
Located within the Guangzhou Friendship Store in the city’s central business district, cdf Guangzhou Downtown Duty Free Shop marks a key step in the city’s development as a global consumption hub.
A special ceremony was held to celebrate the opening, bringing together key business leaders and members of the media.
The store combines duty-free shopping for travellers with regular retail for locals, featuring handbags, jewellery and premium spirits.
The launch was celebrated with special promotions and discounts on selected products, along with additional shopping rewards for new and existing members.
To promote the launch, the retailer teamed up with travel partners to offer hotel vouchers for qualifying purchases, enhancing both retail activity and tourism.
The store blends Guangzhou’s ‘City of Flowers’ aesthetic with artistic entrance displays and a central area highlighting local culture and Chinese heritage brands.
The tax-paid section’s ‘China Chic’ area combines traditional Cantonese craftsmanship such as Canton enamel with contemporary design, offering visitors unique cultural souvenirs and immersive retail experience.
For enhanced convenience, international travellers can purchase duty-free items downtown and collect them at the airport
Distinguished guests gather for a commemorative photo at the downtown store opening in Guangzhou, China’s most important economic and trade centre and transportation hub
Blending retail, culture and tourism
Separately, the 3,000sq m cdf Shenzhen Downtown Duty Free Shop is located in the UpperHills commercial complex of the city.
Spanning duty-free and tax-paid sections, the Shenzhen store’s duty-free offering showcases categories including beauty, watches & jewellery, wines & spirits and consumer electronics.
The tax-paid section incorporates a trendy toy market, a ‘China Chic’ beauty zone, outdoor sports gear, whisky and watches, and a traditional Chinese medicine area by historic pharmaceutical company Tong Ren Tang.
The store also features a whisky bar and spa, complemented by the ‘Light of Shenzhen’ technology corridor, with leading tech brands such as Huawei, Honor and iFLYTEK to highlight the city’s role as a hub for technology and innovation.
China Tourism Group General Manager and CDFG President Fan Yunjun reaffirmed the company’s commitment to serving the nation and the public by supporting China’s new development framework.
Fan noted the group’s strategy to leverage its global resources to integrate duty-free retail with culture and tourism, reinforcing Shenzhen’s status as an international consumption hub while supporting the development of the Greater Bay Area.
Comment: CDFG’s due of downtown store openings represent the latest stage in its response to the government’s extension to the Chinese travel retail ecosystem announced in August 2024. All outbound travellers (vs. only foreigners before) can purchase duty-free products at downtown duty-free stores within 60 days before their departure. The measures, which have prompted a series of off-airport openings by CDFG and other players, are already transforming the structural landscape of China’s travel retail industry – and have important repercussions for overseas retailers serving Chinese travellers as even more spending remains at home.
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The Moodie Davitt eZine
Issue 346 | 17 September 2025
The Moodie Davitt eZine is published 6 times per year by The Moodie Davitt Report (MA Travel Retail). © All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the Publisher. To find out more visit www.moodiedavittreport.com and to subscribe, please email kristyn@moodiedavittreport.com