The developing retail environment in Papua New Guinea will soon include expanded duty-free shopping at the refurbished Jacksons International Airport.

CPL’s Mahesh Patel

The CPL Group’s plans to open a Prouds duty-free store at Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby provide another example of how Papua New Guinea’s retail sector is developing to serve new demand in the country.

Ahead of the 2015 Pacific Games in July, the National Airports Corporation (NAC) is completing a major upgrade of its facilities at the international terminal.

To complement the upgrade, NAC has also developed plans to improve the retail experience available to visitors, with the inclusion of a duty-free store earmarked as a key part of the upgrade, along with a market place, convenience store, bar and restaurant.

Leading fashion

The duty-free store, to be called Prouds, is being established through a partnership between CPL Group and Fiji’s Motibhai Group of Companies, which has been operating duty-free shops in Fiji for more than 40 years.

The store will be located within the departure and arrival areas of the airport and is expected to be opened in June.

According to CPL Group, the Prouds store will feature several leading fashion brands, including Chanel, Christian Dior, Rolex, Omega, Tag Heuer and Gucci.

The company added that the shop would be characterised by ‘warm interiors, complementing a more hip and new store layout that is obviously facilitating more pleasurable shopping experience for customers.

‘The new store promises an ambience of international standards backed by the friendly staffs to assist the customers.’

CPL Group expansion

The duty-free store will add to CPL Group’s growing family of retail brands.

Most recently, CPL Group launched its do-it-yourself (DIY) hardware concept store, Haus Depot, last year, and also this month opened a new clothing store, Jack’s of PNG, at Waigani Central.

In launching the new duty-free store, CPL Chairman Mahesh Patel said: ‘This new business venture proves yet again CPL’s commitment to the PNG market and our mission to serve and inspire our various customers – by bringing them the very best of retail.’

PNG’s leading multi-format retailer, CPL Group operates seven formats under different business segments–pharmacies, supermarkets, hardware stores, coffee shops, multiplex cinemas, pizza chain, convenience stores and the DIY hardware concept shop.

Retail sector developing

Waigani Central shopping complex

The commercial development at Jackson International Airport follows substantial growth in PNG’s retail sector over the past five years, particularly in Port Moresby, as it develops to cater for the needs of an emerging middle class and a growing population.

In 2010, R H Group opened the Vision City shopping centre at Waigani, where it has continued to add new tenants, while Garamut Enterprises opened the K200 million Waterfront Foodworld complex in Konedobu in 2012. More recently, CPL Group launched several of its stores at the Steamships-built Waigani Central shopping complex at the end of 2014.

The growth of the sector is reflected not only in an increasing number of retail sites, but also in the broader range of goods being sold, including homewares, consumer electrical goods and fashion clothing.