Duty Free Philippines reinvents & refreshes shopping experience
MANILA, Philippines - Shopping is all about what’s new — the sight yet to be seen, the thrill that’s never been felt. All over the world, Filipinos are famous for their shopping obsession, but the root of it all isn’t a mindless materialism. We know it in the very core of our being that travel is a great blessing, and we want to immortalize the journey and more importantly, we want to find trinkets to share with those we love. We want to share the buzz and bliss of our adventures with our friends and family. Now that weight restrictions are stricter than ever, and we have so many more choices in our travel adventures, it makes more sense that we do our shopping for pasalubong when we land back here in the Philippines.
Duty Free Philippines understands this very well. “We are constantly evolving and shopping for brands to excite our clients. We know that our clients want to share their experiences abroad with their family. They want their loved ones to know and get to enjoy what they may see, whether it was in the Middle East, Europe, or America,” shares the Chief Operating Officer of Duty Free Philippines Enchong Formoso.
And to enhance this experience, Duty Free Philippines has just completed their most extensive renovation of their shopping floors. “If our travelers have not seen Duty Free in five or six months, they will be surprised. From the floor to the ceiling, we have changed it. We wanted to upgrade Duty Free to an international level, on par with Duty Free shops abroad. In a word, everything is new.”
Travel retail differs from traditional retail, because the principals abroad understand that they have to offer fresh merchandise. Our own Duty Free knows that our local scene is very robust and up to date but they emphasize that there are special items that are exclusive to travel retail.
On the fashion floor, boutiques for Longchamp and Coach have been enlarged and redesigned. These two brands have themselves been updated with a new Brand Ambassador and a new Creative Director respectively. Longchamp has signed on It Girl and cult fashion fave Alexa Chung to front their ads, and they have made their bag designs sleeker and dressier. As their international Communications Director Marie-Sabine LeClerq has defined, “For the new Escales collection, which is cheerful, colorful and bursting with energy, we needed a woman who was both chic and modern. Alexa Chung is the woman who embodies it best. Her enchanting gaze, who is very strong and present, gives the campaign a lot of personality. She has energy and confidence.”
Heritage brand Coach has embarked on a worldwide rebranding, and this boutique in Duty Free Philippines reflects this new direction. Coach has a new design head, Stuart Vevers, previously from Loewe, Mulberry and Bottega Veneta, and the latest collection has revived interest in this pillar of American luxury. Vevers aimed to add an element of “cool” and “lightness” to this staple that was beginning to lose the imagination of chic shoppers. Even jaded fashion editors have been taking note of this latest incarnation of Coach which has returned to its roots, and has ironically then, taken a more contemporary and well, covetable vibe.
Vevers took the age-old wisdom of going back to the very beginning. “I want to look at what American luxury means. It’s different from European houses, more relaxed. It’s about effortlessness---that is inherently cool. That’s a vague word; it looks forward but has nostalgia---a combination that works for Coach.”
Other fun labels on the fashion floor include Givenchy, Lacoste, Penguin and Tommy Bahamas. The Repetto selection is also another delightful discovery at very delightful prices as well.
The watches are now housed in their own separate boutique. Beverly Ong Campos, who heads the Watches department reveals, “We started with the fashion watches, such as Anne Klein and Guess, but we are happy that Fossil, U-Boat and Philippe Charriol were so happy with our renovation that we are now carrying these brands.”
Perfumes and makeup are true bargains at Duty Free Philippines. From designer brands (Chanel, and Dior) to fashion favorites (MAC and Shu Uemura) to drugstore basics (L’Oreal and Maybelline), the choices and prices cannot be beat. Acca Kappa also has its own boutique here and a great selection of its toiletries and signature brushes. Fun finds such as Italian botanical soaps make wonderful presents, and they sit so prettily on a powder room counter.
The wine lovers will find Robert Mondavi wines that are exclusive to Duty Free, as well as Patron, Hennessy and Johnnie Walker special edition spirits. Chocolates remain the top sellers of all the categories, and the perennial pasalubong staples Ghirardelli’s and Godiva and See’s now have an expanded selection. There are always interesting promos with cute gifts that add to the fun of the shopping experience.
Walking through the aisles at Duty Free Philippines, my mind wanders back to shopping sprees of the past; there was one just last Christmas when my friends, my sister and I forgot to eat both merienda and dinner as we found gifts for our lists; and another when a super busy and hardworking friend treated herself to lovely apple green Givenchy tote; and another expedition when I finally tried Chanel Vitalumiere foundation. But the memory that is seared on my brain when I step into Duty Free Philippines is of the children, who traipse about the aisles, grabbing a bag of M&M’s or clutching an adorable stuffed toy. And then I look for their parents and see the warm, glowing smiles.
Then, and I am barely aware of it, my friends find me and ask, “What are you smiling at?” And I then feel a knot in my throat at having that realization that a bag of chocolates isn’t just an explosion of sweetness and calories, and that a pasalubong isn’t just a token from a trip, but a way to share the very best of ourselves.
