King Power duty free to close several of its shops - including Pattaya

[Gaybutton]

Anyone who has been to an international airport in Thailand is probably familiar with King Power duty free, which has held a virtual monopoly on duty free shops in Thailand.

Many may not be aware they also have off-airport shops, including a tremendous shop in Pattaya. Anyone is welcome to go there and look, but to buy you must show an outbound international flight ticket and your passport. When you make your purchase it will be delivered to the airport where you can pick it up after clearing departure customs and entering the international area.

The Pattaya shop in Pattaya is on Sukhumvit, just south of Pattaya Klang (Central Road) and is a very large area. I have no idea what may become of the property, but I am not surprised King Power is closing it. I've passed it hundreds of times and almost never see any cars entering or in their parking lot. If tour buses go there, I have never seen any. I don't know how they have been able to keep it open until now with only a trickle of customers. Whoever decided to build it at that site must not have been familiar with the old business adage about location, location, location because it is nowhere near where international tourists are likely to be. The only practical way for tourists to shop there is if it is an obligatory stop on a tour bus. Well, at least that's better than the obligatory stops at huge gem shops - unless they have been doing both.

I would be surprised if most tourists traveling independently are ever even aware of its existence.
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King Power closing shops, cutting staff

Sharp drop in group tours has hurt duty-free branches in downtown Bangkok and Pattaya

by Narumon Kasemsuk

July 22, 2025

King Power is streamlining its duty-free business by closing its three downtown branches in Bangkok and Pattaya and launching a voluntary redundancy programme for employees.

The move is an attempt to downsize the business to allow for better operations in the long run, said Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, chief executive of King Power Corporation.

He said the closures of King Power Mahanakhon, King Power Srivaree and King Power Pattaya represent a practical solution that matches changing conditions in the tourism market.

The targeted branches were designed to attract tour groups but their revenue has declined as tourism habits are changing and more people are travelling independently, he said.

Duty-free shopping in airports does not face the same problem as they are still able to earn income from individual passengers.

Its affiliate, King Power Duty Free Co, is also in the process of seeking an adjustment to the contract for operations at five airports with Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT).

Foreign tourist arrivals to Thailand have fallen about 5% so far this year compared with the same period in 2024, with Chinese arrivals down by about 33%.

The decline has been reflected in AoT shares on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, which have fallen 35.6% since the start of this year. The prospect of a sharp drop in revenue from King Power has also become a concern for investors.

Mr Nitinai, a former AoT president who was appointed as King Power Corp’s new chief executive on June 4, said the latest decision to control costs is not related to the negotiations with AoT.

He said many businesses nowadays are required to make adjustments, not only King Power.

Mr Nitinai said that staff who resign voluntarily under the redundancy programme would be compensated based on existing labour laws and the years they had spent working for the company. The firm has not set a headcount reduction target.

For employees at the three shuttered branches, if they wish to continue working with the company they will be relocated to other locations.

Established in 1989, King Power is the largest duty-free shopping operator in Thailand.

Last month, AoT approved an extension of the payment period for three contracts at five airports, allowing King Power Duty Free to pay the difference owing in instalments. Payment of some other minimum benefits specified in the contract would be deferred for another eight months.

Earlier this year, King Power sought to terminate its contract for the five airports, citing declining tourist arrivals as one of the main reasons.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/ge ... ting-staff

[Jun]

I would be surprised if most tourists traveling independently are ever even aware of its existence.

I sometimes notice it when on the bus out of Pattaya. I have forgotten about it 30 seconds later, or as soon as I pass something more interesting.

I can't imagine why would anyone would want to buy duty free products and have them delivered to the airport. Presumably one has to rely on their logistics working OK and then build in enough time to find the right branch of King Power and collect the goods.
Why not just buy in the airport, IF you have time ? Far more flexible. You also get to take the goods away at the time of payment, which is more secure & reduces the risks from retailer insolvency.

That's if "duty free" is any cheaper in the first place. Perhaps some alcohol could be, but I'm not really looking to carry bottles and have never seen any other bargains there.

[Gaybutton]

Why not just buy in the airport

The only reason I can think of is the off airport locations are tremendous and carry far more products than the airports. Other than that, a waste of time. And you're probably right about some products actually being more expensive.