TAIPEI. Ever Rich Duty Free Shop and Taoyuan International Airport today officially opened the new-look central duty free shopping zone and fourth floor food & beverage area in Terminal 2. It follows a NT$1 billion (US$33 million) investment in phase one reconstruction after Ever Rich won the tender for a new contract last year.
Ever Rich partnered with London-based The Design Solution to create a walk-through commercial space airside. This features a curved pathway which is mirrored by a curved ceiling design and guides travellers through the store. Importantly, it also features a strong Sense of Place by building images from Taiwan into the design.
Artist Fan Chengzhong was invited to create a series of giant art installations, and evoked the natural beauty of the island, notably through its mountain ranges. Multimedia artist Chen Yijie was invited to surprise passengers through a series of large digital panels.
The store provides a multi-sensory experience, said Ever Rich, which includes a fragrance scenting system, tasting opportunities at the cocktail bar and dining area and the touch experience of a VR make-up device.
In enhancing the T2 public facilities, Ever Rich said it valued the importance of human rights by creating gender-neutral toilets and ensuring smart technology was built into passenger washing facilities.
In its drive to raise the F&B standard, Ever Rich has introduced well-known local and Asian F&B brands to Taoyuan International Airport, which are complemented by international names such as McDonald’s, Starbucks and Jambo Juice.
Other features include a cocktail bar that changes according to the season, a doll grabbing machine to entertain Ever Rich online shop members, and neon signs that evoke Taiwanese street culture.
Complementing the shops, products, facilities and public service, Ever Rich staff uniforms have been redesigned, with effect from 1 November. The design features the contrast colours of coral pink and deep indigo blue, and includes elements such as a pilot’s flight scarf and a specially designed salesperson’s bag.
Ever Rich noted that although construction work occurred during two peak tourism periods, Chinese New Year and summer vacation, the impact on passengers and business was minimised by working at night and using a column-free cantilever steel construction method.
The total investment for the Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2 reconstruction is estimated to be about NT$3 billion (US$100 million). The renovation of the terminal includes airport corridor redesign, all shop reconstruction, renewal of themed waiting lounges and improvements to public service facilities. Local and regional characteristics will be fully represented throughout, including new museum shops, aboriginal and Hakka shops, as well as artists and festival events that represent the island.
