The retail and dining experience at Singapore Changi Airport is widely regarded as one of the most remarkable in the world. The airport community’s “most awarded” gateway has been celebrated by passengers and industry alike for enriching the airport journey of its travellers, of which it last year handled 54.1 million, with unprecedented innovations and revolutionary concepts, enthralling in-store theatre and an unparalleled retail mix – all aspects of a clearly defined commercial strategy that ensures Changi Airport maintains its position as a competitive air transport hub.
The airport introduces new brands and innovatory retail ideas to shoppers regularly. Last year, fashion brands including Uniqlo, Kate Spade New York and Calvin Klein Jeans, delighted Changi’s passengers for the first time, and in the next few months, modish apparel brand Zara will introduce its first-ever airport duplex, while Samsung will open its only standalone store in an airport, directly operated by the South Korean electronics powerhouse. DFS Group has also recently opened its first duplex store in an airport, offering shoppers the largest airport selection of single malt whiskies through an immersive, interactive shopping experience. The introduction of first-in-the-world airport duplexes for the Wines & Spirits and Fragrances & Cosmetics categories has set the stage for a dramatic transformation of Changi Airport’s retail landscape – one that has effectively elevated the airport shopping experience to a whole new level.
In a display of the retail innovation so intrinsic to the Singapore Changi Airport passenger experience, in May DFS Group opened a spectacular new wines and spirits flagship duplex store – the first of its kind in the world – at the airport’s Terminal 3. At 11,400 square feet across two floors, the store is DFS Group’s largest single retail space for wines, spirits and tobacco. Image courtesy of Changi Airport Group.
“To grow Changi Airport’s commercial business, we adopt a holistic strategy that includes attracting quality concessionaires to operate at Changi, adjusting and improving our retail mix regularly, providing support to our concessionaires by creating a conducive retail environment at the airport and organising various shopping events and promotions to drive spending at the airport,” Lim Peck Hoon, Changi Airport’s Executive Vice President Commercial, explained to Airport Business. “An ideal retail experience should be stress-free, fun and rewarding. There should be a wide array of choices for shoppers and diners to choose from, and therefore we constantly rejuvenate the retail mix, bringing in new and exciting brands that ensure our relevance even as the needs and demands of our shoppers change.”
Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Changi Airport Group, said of DFS Group’s recently opened duplex store: “We are delighted to see the first-ever wines and spirits duplex store open its doors at Changi Airport. The store – with its stunning façade and double volume grandeur – is not only a design showpiece on its own, but the extensive range of products and unique boutiques truly enhance the overall retail experience. It is in keeping with the DNA of Changi Airport where service is personalised, stress-free and positively surprising.” Image courtesy of Changi Airport Group.
Ambitious developments airport-wide are providing Changi with exciting new opportunities to create ever more unexpected commercial experiences for its passengers. On the immediate horizon is the development of the new Terminal 4, which, due to be completed in 2017, will have the capacity to handle 16 million passengers a year, and will redefine passengers’ travel experience and raise operational efficiency through state-of-the-art design and processing innovations. The scale and variety of its retail and F&B offerings, Lim described, will be comprehensive, the new terminal providing a platform on which to introduce never-before-seen retail formats. T4 will unveil retail concepts with impressive high ceilings and double-volume façade shops, as well as local culture and heritage-themed features, including retail stores with facades of old Peranakan shop houses.
“On the retail front, the two-storey terminal with a total space of 195,000sqm, will have 17,000sqm of retail and dining space for more than 80 outlets,” Lim added. “The new terminal sets a stage for innovative and unexplored retail formats for Changi. These include our first walkthrough duty free store and a cluster of double-volume façade shops, as well as the adoption of local and heritage themes within the retail zones. Leasing of retail space at T4 will commence very soon, and is expected to be completed by end of 2016.”
Jewel Changi Airport
In line with Singapore’s reputation as a ‘City in a Garden’, as well as the greenery and gardens that Changi Airport is well known for, Jewel will offer its very own experience of nature. “Our vision is to create a place where visitors can simply relax and spend an unforgettable experience with their family and loved ones,” Lim said. Image courtesy of Changi Airport Group.
The most recent development on Changi Airport’s retail landscape is the captivating Project Jewel – an iconic global attraction that will revolutionise the gateway’s commercial operations and “capture tourism mindshare on the world stage”. Jewel Changi Airport is a multi-use complex featuring attractions, a hotel, and facilities for airport operations, such as a dedicated multi-modal passenger lounge, in addition to the commercial offerings. The complex is integrated with the expanded Terminal 1, from which arriving passengers can walk seamlessly into Jewel. In addition, the complex will also be linked to the departure halls of Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 via pedestrian bridges with travelators.
Strategically located in the heart of the airport, in the middle of the three terminals, Jewel is on the public (landside) side of T1 and it will be accessible to air passengers, destination tourists and local visitors to the airport. Construction of Jewel is ongoing, due for completion in 2018, and the complex is defined by a plethora of unique features that merge the marketplace with nature – including the world’s tallest indoor waterfall and a large indoor park of indigenous plants and trees.
The concept for Jewel stems from an extension of Singapore’s reputation of being a ‘City in a Garden’, and is a place where park and marketplace are situated side-by-side. Jewel’s unique design features the majestic Forest Valley and Rain Vortex in the middle of the complex – surrounded by retail stores and restaurants. Image courtesy of Changi Airport Group.
“Our vision is for Jewel to be a world-class lifestyle destination that will enable the Changi air hub to capture passenger mindshare, and boost Singapore’s appeal as a stopover point for travellers,” Lim said. The retail experience at Jewel will be curated to deliver the vision of a world-class icon of Singapore – the commercial offering customised to be unique and attractive to international travellers as well as local visitors.
“For example, we will source international brands that are new to Singapore and Asia,” she commented. “Furthermore, even for brands that are already in Singapore, we plan to work closely with these retailers to make the shopping experience a discovery process. We hope to share the stories behind the brands and introduce artisan showcases within the development. In addition, we will also be looking at homegrown retailers, designers, and craftsmen to introduce a strong Singapore retail story to share with the world. Finally, with the lush greenery that is throughout the complex, there will also be a strong theme of ‘bringing the outdoors indoors’ in our commercial offerings.”
Jewel Changi Airport is being developed in cooperation with CapitaMalls Asia, the shopping mall business of one of Singapore’s most successful real estate developers, CapitaLand. It will be home to 300 shops, with about 30% of the space dedicated to F&B and 70% to retail. Image courtesy of Changi Airport Group.
The integration of world-class retail brands and unique dining concepts with the indoor gardens and leisure attractions that define Jewel will provide visitors with a world of experiences all under one roof – making it a one-of-a-kind lifestyle destination. “At Jewel, we want the world to meet Singapore and for Singapore to meet the world,” Lim said. The complex will be 134,000sqm in size, of which 18,500sqm has been allocated for aviation facilities, including early check-in facilities and a dedicated multi-modal lounge. 22,000sqm of space has been allocated for gardens, attractions and activity zones within the complex, for both the young and old to have a memorable experience at Jewel. The retail offering, meanwhile, will take up approximately 90,000sqm of space and this will offer shoppers a comprehensive range of product and service offerings, and a good mix of new-to-market and unique concepts that create a great shopping experience. There will be approximately 300 shops in Jewel, with about 30% of the space dedicated to F&B and 70% to retail.
“Changi Airport and Jewel will each have its set of unique value propositions. Within the airport, space is always limited in the transit areas. For some brands, they may require additional large format stores to showcase the full range of their brand and this will now be possible in Jewel,” Lim continued. “Ultimately, we believe that the retail offerings at Jewel and those within the airport will complement each other and enhance the overall shopping experience to strengthen Changi Airport’s position as a leading world-class air hub.”
