<!-- headline one : end --> Airport will help other
retailers by launching promotions, on top of other aid schemes
<!-- Author --> By Karamjit Kaur, Aviation Correspondent
HIT by declining sales, two of the 37 shops located in the
public area at Changi Airport's Terminal 3 have closed.
Artisans d' Angkor, which sold Cambodian artefacts, and
Goldheart Jewellery packed up and left about two months ago.
To stop more businesses from closing shop, the airport is set to
launch another marketing blitz, after spending more than $2.5
million last year to promote T3 as a shopping and dining haven.
Since the new terminal opened in January last year, retailers
have complained of slow business. The facility has twice as many
shops in the public area compared to Terminals 1 and 2
combined.
But T3 is less well-known to visitors than the other terminals,
adding to the lack of customer traffic.
With only a handful of carriers operating out of the new
terminal, which was built to handle double the traffic it currently
does, there is also less activity.
Given the current travel downturn, the Civil Aviation Authority
of Singapore (CAAS) wants to help boost sales and has planned
several promotions to run throughout the year.
The first, which will run from Feb 26 to the end of April, will
help spread the word that 28 of the retail outlets at T3 are
offering GST-free shopping.
Apart from the usual banners and newspaper advertisements,
300,000 fliers will be dropped into mailboxes at housing estates in
the east.
Each will come with a $5 coupon to be spent at the airport.
Newspaper ads will also have the coupons, but with stipulated
conditions.
There will also be weekly lucky draws with six winners in total
- each walking away with $500 worth of shopping vouchers.
These promotions are on top of other assistance schemes, such as
a 15 per cent rental discount that is already in place.
Many retailers welcomed the ongoing publicity and marketing
efforts by CAAS.
'The various proactive airport programmes have improved sales,
especially over the Christmas period,' said Mr Ken Tse, managing
director of cosmetics and perfume chain Nuance-Watson.
'We are also driving sales at our three perfume and cosmetics
shops in the public area with special buys for Singaporeans, which
have been very successful.'
While overall takings for the company grew last year compared
with takings in 2007, business has slowed in the last four
months.
The Straits Times understands that some of the retailers have
asked for further cuts in rent.
When asked about this possibility, a CAAS spokesman said: 'In
view of the current economic downturn, we are closely monitoring
the retail situation at the airport.'
CAAS also said it would gauge the success of the no-GST
initiative at T3 before deciding whether to extend the scheme to
food and beverage outlets there.
If necessary, the no-GST scheme could also be extended to retail
outlets at the other terminals, it added.
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waiting for fifi to save T3
