Living it up
What did it mean for you to win the Frontier award for Airport/Land-based Retailer of the Year?
Winning the Frontier Award means a lot to us as it is the most desirable award for the major airport
operators in the world. It represents the ultimate
recognition from the business community in the global travel retail industry. The award also represents a real achievement for Hong Kong and, ultimately, gives
our people the motivation we need to further progress the business and strive for still higher levels of
customer satisfaction.
What developments has your company undertaken since last October?
We did not rest on our laurels and continue our commitment in bringing uniqueness and innovations with further developments (see pages 32-33). We had a high-profile launch for Asia’s first La Prairie travel retail flagship counter with a state-of-the-art treatment cabin in our mega beauty store Temptation Duty Free in Terminal 1, which has substantially enhanced business, store image and customer satisfaction.
We have also embarked upon a massive refurbishment of our flagship stores in order to maintain a
highly effective retail presence as we are entering the third year of our second concession at HKIA.
Did winning the award change anything in terms of business opportunities and recognition, and if so, how?
We received recognitions, encouraging words and blessings from our vendor partners and Airport Authority HK. The winning has really given us an underlining support to our efforts towards Asian expansion. In fully leveraging the cachet that comes with the award, we also created a full set of in-store display and communication
materials, aiming to share our pride with customers and to further reinforce the world-class image of
airport retail at HKIA.
Are you planning on entering the awards again
this year?
Yes, we shall enter for an award. It is healthy to
remain competitive.
What opportunities are available to Nuance-Watson (HK) and how do you plan on tackling them?
We are committed to achieving continuous growth within HKIA and outside. Apart from fully exploiting upcoming developments at HKIA, we are going to open a new multi-category store at The Venetian Macao, in mid 2007. It will be the first time we expand our TR portfolio beyond the airport environment, by which we are entering into a bold new era of selling and servicing travellers in a hospitality environment. This development will allow us to expand our operational expertise and solidify our strategic position to pave the way for further developments into China.
What are the challenges you face and what is your strategy to overcome them?
While we enjoy the advantage of our unique strategic location at HKIA to build up unrivalled understanding of the mainland Chinese customers, we feel we still have some way to go in entering into the Chinese market because it’s such a big market and it is
evolving fast. The legal framework, regulations and industry practices are also different for foreign investors. Therefore, we have to manage our learning curve into China at an approachable scale.
Where would you like to see Nuance-Watson (HK) in 5-10 years’ time?
We are not looking at travel retail at airports solely for the length of one contract. We are persevering in looking into businesses which are there to stay. Only then can we invest in efficiencies, productivity, quality improvements and people. There is not much reward or satisfaction in what we are doing and achieving, otherwise. We focus on extending the life span of our company in a viable way. In 5-10 years, we aim at
remaining and expanding our business in Asia. n
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