Dufry wins duty-free license extension at Gimhae airport in Busan

[Photo provided by Dufry Thomas Julie Korea Co.]

Dufry Thomas Julie Korea Co., local subsidiary of global travel retailing giant Dufry, was granted another five years to run duty-free concessions at Gimhae International Airport, the gateway to South Korea’s second-biggest city of Busan in the southern region.

Dufry Thomas Julie Korea scored 903.17 out of perfect 1,000 to win the business license for the duty-free concessions in the DF2 area of Gimhae International Airport in the southern port city, the Korea Airports Corp said Monday.

Dufry, which entered the airport in 2013, is now able to keep presence until 2023.

The award is being contested by local industry as the locations are originally reserved for Korean small and mid-sized merchants. SM Duty Free, a subsidiary of Korean travel agency Hana Tour Service Inc. that competed to win the spot, questions fairness in the procedure. Dufry reportedly had contributed starting capital of only 10 million won in the Korean subsidiary, but nevertheless prevailed with dominant name in the duty-free community.

Dufry Thomas Julie Korea earned sales of 77.9 billion won ($69 million) for the first 10 months of this year and 85.7 billion last year from its duty-free concession in the DF2 area. Its sales are estimated to top 100 billion won for this year. About 16.4 million people traveled through Gimhae International Airport last year and the number jumped to 17.1 million this year.

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