Duty Free Philippines Corp. said Wednesday it plans to open new stores at the international airports of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan and Panglao, Bohol this year.
“With this expansion, the state-owned retail company is giving speed to its target of reaching 15 percent of the international traveller by 2027. We are in coordination with the Department of Transportation and definitely it will happen this year,” said Duty Free chief operating officer Vicente Pelagio Angala.
He said total sales of Duty Free Philippines reached $217 million in 2018, representing a 2-percent growth from 2017.
Filipino tourists, migrants, and overseas Filipino workers remain the stores’ top source market with $59.9 million worth of transactions, followed by the Americans with $49 million, Chinese with $1.5 million and Canadians with $1.1 million.
The company said the top five best-selling categories were confectionary, liquors and spirits, perfume and cosmetics, fashion and supermarket.
“One of the factors that contributed to this growth is our partnerships with third-party online payments solutions such as Alipay and WeChat,” said Angala.
“Our collaboration also with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Go Lokal program has steadily grown to this day and we expected to continue to grow in the coming years,” he said.
The store is in close coordination with the Tourism Department in adding homegrown products through the Philippines’ Finest Kiosk.
These plans and programs bode well for the Duty Free Philippines’ higher sales target of $220 million for 2019.
“With the challenges and hurdles the industry is facing, DFP will stay committed to its mandate to boost the country’s tourism industry by providing Filipino travelers with an extensive range of gifts to bring home to their loved ones,” said Angala.