Ever Rich sales resilient despite China slowdown

Ever Rich D.F.S. Corporation tells David Hayes that the company achieved single digit revenue growth in 2015 at its major downtown and airport duty free locations with the rise in sales reflecting a similar increase in international passenger traffic through the republic’s main airports, during the past 12 months.

Ever Rich says that the company’s overall rise in duty free sales is less than previously expected and is due a slowdown in per capita spending by mainland Chinese visitors, who still make up the majority of sales at many of Ever Rich’s duty free outlets.

“We have seen growth in 2015, but not as large as in 2014. Mainland tourist numbers are still growing gradually but the duty free sales growth is slowing,” commented an Ever Rich source.

“China’s economy is still quite strong, but their currency is weaker; China’s economy is not growing as fast as before.”

While duty free sales are rising as more mainland tourists visit Taiwan, Ever Rich – Taiwan’s leading duty free operator – had been looking for overall double-digit sales growth last year after opening its new Kinmen Islands’ hotel and downtown duty free shopping complex in 2014.

Kinmen Ever Rich Golden Lake Plaza duty free shopping mall and hotel complex is located in Kinhu town on Big Kinmen. In addition to duty free shopping and other retail facilities, the Ever Rich hotel shopping and entertainment resort is planned to include a multiplex cinema and has space for a casino in future, though no casino licenses for Kinmen have been approved so far.

“China’s economy is still quite strong, but their currency is weaker; China’s economy is not growing as fast as before.”

Duty free shopping facilities occupy about 27,000sq m of retail space over five floors, divided into separate areas serving visitors departing overseas to China and elsewhere from Kinmen. It also includes a domestic duty free allowance area for Taiwanese and other travellers returning to mainland Taiwan.

“Our sales are still growing, but it’s slow growth,” says the source. “After the effort we put into our shops we expected to grow more. Although mainland tourist numbers are growing it’s not as much as many people here expected – all department stores in Taiwan are feeling that mainland customers’ purchasing growth is slowing down.

“In Kinmen our international duty free sales are better than domestic duty free. Our main target is Chinese visitors, they buy cosmetics and fashion.”

In addition to its Kinmen Islands’ shops, Ever Rich operates departure and arrival duty free shops in Taiwan’s main airports – Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Songshan International Airport, Kaohsiung International Airport and Taichung International Airport – plus two downtown pre-order duty free shops in Taipei.