Lagardere : Lagardère Travel Retail announces the roll out of WeChat Pay, a solution for Chinese customers at its European shops

Lagardère Travel Retail announces the roll out of WeChat Pay, a solution for Chinese customers at its European shops

WeChat Pay will first be launched in Terminal 1 of Roissy Charles De Gaulle airport at shops operated by SDA (Société de Distribution Aéroportuaire) - a joint-venture by Lagardère Travel Retail and Groupe ADP - prior to being released at other airports.

WeChat Pay is a secure payment system for smartphones that is widely used in China and boasts 600 million active users. WeChat Pay is integrated in Tencent's WeChat app, the most popular 'smart' social network in China with nearly a billion users. Over 70% of transactions in China are conducted via mobile phones. Users make payments with a QR code generated right on their smartphones.

Lagardère Travel Retail's launch of WeChat Pay is part of its strategy to expand its Chinese clientèle, who currently account for a large portion of sales in international airports. The app is the latest addition to the strategy, which already includes a custom offering for Chinese customers, recruitment of Chinese sales advisers and partnerships with Chinese tour operators.

Additionally, Lagardère Travel Retail endeavours to make the airport shopping experience as pleasant as possible for all by developing new airport services that enable passengers to save time and travel more comfortably. Additional services have been created, such as 'Click&Collect', enabling passengers to order products online and pick them up in-store at the airport, and 'Collect on Return', which lets them pick up purchases at Duty Free Lagardère Travel Retail shops when they return from their trip.