Changi Airport concession sales rose almost 8% in 2015 on strong Chinese spending

CONCESSION sales at Changi Airport increased by almost 8 per cent to S$2.2 billion in 2015 with strong spending by Chinese travellers, Changi Airport Group announced on Sunday.

Travellers from China, Singapore, Indonesia, India and Australia were the largest customer groups in 2015, the airport operator said. Sales to Chinese passengers grew at the fastest pace of 28 per cent, and contributed 30 per cent of total sales. Sales to Singaporeans maintained stable growth of 3 per cent, and accounted for 20 per cent of total sales.

The two most popular product categories were liquor and tobacco, and cosmetics and perfumes, followed by luxury goods, electronics and equipment, and chocolates and candies.

The online shopping platform iShopChangi.com saw a doubling of traffic, with a four-time increase in sales as the product range has been expanded to seven categories with more than 6,000 items. The most popular online products were beauty goods, electronics and wines and spirits.

"In 2015, we continued to execute a successful commercial strategy, which saw the introduction of innovative concepts evident in our liquor and beauty duplex stores and the launch of many first-in-Changi brands," Changi Airport Group executive vice-president of commercial Lim Peck Hoon said in a statement.

Promotions such as the Star Wars plushies and the Changi Millionaire sweepstakes have also contributed to growth. Changi Airport Group said that it will continue Changi Millionaire, which began in 2010, in 2016.

"We are delighted to achieve yet another record high for concession sales at Changi Airport in 2015," Ms Lim said. "This is positive for the Singapore air hub as profits from our retail business help to offset the cost of our aeronautical operations."

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