The city of Brisbane is becoming a major player in the retail market, according to Longchamp GM for Australia and New Zealand Julie Therond.
The luxury accessories brand opened its fourth Australian store in the state capital last month.
“Brisbane's population is growing very fast and attracting more and more Australians and tourists,” Therond said. “The city is definitely becoming a major player in Australia.
“We also want to be part of the city transformation that is currently happening in view of the upcoming 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major projects which are going to transform the city.”
On top of Longchamp’s four Australian boutiques and local e-commerce, it is also distributed in selected David Jones stores across ANZ and on The Iconic.
According to passenger statistics by Brisbane Airport, the city is recording a major spike in local and international tourists as post-pandemic travel resumes.
Brisbane recorded year-on-year (YoY) growth of 406.3% for domestic travellers in August 2022, and a YoY growth of 2,414.5% growth in international travellers.
In November last year, the airport said that more than 14,000 international passengers are forecast on peak days, which was around 60% of pre-Covid levels. It hit its busiest day since 2019 in September 2022 with 12,300 passengers.
“Flights to and from Canada, the US, New Zealand, and Europe via Singapore and the Middle East are experiencing strong demand,” airport spokesperson Stephen Beckett said. “[This] is terrific news for jobs and our tourism recovery, with approximately 75% of international visitors arriving in Queensland coming through Brisbane Airport.”
More recently, Brisbane Airport announced that Korean Air will fly to Brisbane five times a week, saying that Korean tourists will inject more tahn $120 million in the local economy each year.
The new flights will begin in April this year.
Brisbane Airport Corporation executive GM of aviation Ryan Both said this is great news for Queensland.
“South Korea is our third-largest trading market and a major technology partner in Queensland’s new energy economy,” Both said. “We have one of Australia’s largest Korean communities who will now have a direct connection with families. And South Korean tourists and students love coming to Queensland.”
Speaking on the Brisbane location, Therond said luxury and premium locations remain limited in the city.
“It was quite challenging to find the best spot where you could get both the right image and traffic balance,” Therond said. “We have a strong and long-lasting relationship with our landlord with whom we have worked closely with in order to identify the right opportunity for the brand.”