Cognac giant Hennessy has opened its first dedicated boutique on Hainan island, a renowned holiday spot in China.

As one of the most popular Cognac brands in China, Hennessy finally debuted the brand’s first brick-and-mortar shop in China to offer a “multi-sensational experience” for customers to discover the product.

d at the CDF Mall in Haitang Bay, exclusive bottles such as Hennessy XXO (1L), which is only available in travel retail, as well as the limited edition Hennessy VSOP Privilège UVA, a collaboration between Hennessy VSOP and the London- d collective United Visual Artists (UVA), will be on offer.

Customers will also be able to purchase the latest products and full prestige range of Cognacs including Hennessy Paradis, Hennessy Paradis Impérial, and Richard Hennessy.

A special personalisation service on-site will allow customers to customise their Hennessy bottles for themselves or gifting.

The shop includes a circular ‘infinity bar’, where customers can sample a range of Hennessy- d cocktails and attend different workshops to learn more about the spirit.

The opening is well timed to take advantage of the new relaxed offshore duty-free shopping policy that was announced on 1 July. Under the new policy, alcohol (including beer, sake, imported wines and spirits) has been added to the duty-free categories and the annual duty-free allowance for shoppers visiting the island will be raised from RMB30,000 to RMB100,000, although the purchase of alcoholic drinks is subject to a 1.5 litre allowance restriction per visit.

Ultimately, the goal of the government is to create the Hainan Free Trade Port to stimulate consumption and tourism.

Claimed as the world’s largest duty-free shopping centre that comprises 70,000 square-metres, the CDF mall is operated by the China Duty Free Group (CDFG), the leading duty free retailer in China.

According to the 2020 half-year report released by LVMH on 27 July, the luxury group’s wine & spirit business saw organic revenue decline by 23%. A decline in volumes was noticeable in the second quarter especially for Champagne brands; yet cognac business is still going strong in both the Chinese and US markets.