Only me and my gay friends will know what duty-free means. Because when a guy is duty-free, avoid at all cost, hahaha. Kidding aside, Philippine duty free shops used to be this depressing place with bad lighting and sad-looking merchandise. That is why it was nice to receive the piece of good news that they are levelling up in terms of design and product offerings.
Duty Free Philippines COO Lorenzo Formoso announced that they will be opening a huge 11,000 square meter space in Terminal 3 by the end of 2015. This will be a ‘mini mall’ near the airport carpark that will almost rival the two-storey Fiesta Mall in Paranaque in size.
But that’s not all. As a preview of things to come, we were able to tour the newly-renovated areas in airport Terminals 1 and 3 and it was impressive indeed.
It’s easy to notice how bright and well-lit the shopping areas now are. Duty Free management said they contracted the services of the Hong Kong-based Sounda Design Inc. to make the shops look more inviting and functional.
“For example, in the Perfumes, Cosmetics and Fashion section, the brilliant French tandem of Architect Frederic Chevassus and designer Philippe Larosse adopted an ‘aerodynamic’ concept using aircraft details, such as a plane’s wings and propeller, as inspirations,” COO Formoso said.
I did not really notice the airplane details in the shop designs when we visited. What caught my eye were the counters of top beauty labels like La Mer, SKII, Clinique, Kiehl’s, Clarins and the others. They’re worth checking out because Duty Free prices are at least 15-20% cheaper than the regular stores.
Of course, don’t forget the chocolates & confectionery section. They offer the premium brands too.
Here’s my haul at the end of the shopping trip. Tsk tsk….toothache! 😛
It’s really fun shopping in Duty Free Philippines…they offer a lot of bargains and shopping deals. Like this Victoria’s Secret set at 50% off we spotted in the Fiesta Mall…
It’s also nice to see the big beauty & fashion labels coming in. They now have their own freestanding boutiques in the duty-free mall.
Considering that they’re the first thing tourists and returning overseas workers see upon setting foot in the Philippines, the renovation and reinvigoration of the Duty Free Philippines shopping areas are welcome news indeed.
Follow @dutyfreephils on Facebook and Instagram for more updates or visit the official website www.dfp.com.ph
can you finally exit a Duty Free without walking past EVERY kiosk and storefront first? That’s what I really want to know.
It’s still the same as of my visit this week 😀