Singapore Cruise Centre awards DFS master duty-free operations at terminals

SINGAPORE Cruise Centre (SCC) has awarded its first master duty-free and general merchandise concession to luxury travel retailer DFS Group.

The tender, called in June, is for the development and operation of the duty-free operations at SCC's HarbourFront and Tanah Merah ferry terminals for the next five years, starting April 1, 2017. It comes with a two-year extension option.

SCC said this is the first time it has decided to consolidate several separate contracts for duty-free concessions across six categories ranging from liquor and tobacco to fashion and travel accessories into a single contract.

"The selected single duty-free operator would be able to maximise space productivity by offering an optimal mix of merchandise to meet customers' needs, focusing on categories with higher yield, as well as enjoying economies of scale from lower cost with a wider range of offerings,'' SCC explained.

SCC has expanded its main retail space at the arrival and departure areas of its terminals to about 6,000 square feet.

More than 6.3 million ferry passengers and 560,000 cruise passengers are estimated to pass through SCC's terminals annually.