China National Service Corp opens Shanghai downtown duty free store

State-owned China National Service Corporation (CNSC) opened its ambitious Shanghai downtown duty free store on 8 August. The corporation aims to invest heavily in the burgeoning downtown duty free sector in China.

The store opening attracted thousands of shoppers on opening day. It houses an initial 100 brands from the region and worldwide over two floors, with more to come in the next three months, according to local reports. Categories on offer includes watches & jewellery, beauty, confectionery, toys, gifts and special sections dedicated to Korean and Japanese items,

According to reports from Shanghai, the leading brands sold on day one were Estée Lauder, La Mer and MAC.

The reports said that year one sales should hit around 400 million Yuan (US$60 million).

CNSC said it planned to improve its retail systems and service processes, as well as its customer capacity.