“We wanted Duty Free Philippines to be on par with other global retail stores around the world, but still with a Filipino touch.” This was how Lorenzo “Enchong” Formoso III, chief operating officer of Duty Free Philippines, explained the reason for the latest renovation of the Duty Free Philippines Fiesta Mall in Parañaque.

With the help of French interior designer Philippe Larose, our balikbayans will definitely feel more at home in this better and brighter DFP.

The renovation was done in three phases over the past six months, allowing Duty Free to continue operations while boarding up portions of the mall.

A decade ago, overseas Filipino workers arriving at the airports could still be seen pushing carts with balikbayan boxes full of pasalubong for their loved ones here in the Philippines.

This meant paying for excess baggage and a few mismatches in terms of size and preference.

Duty Free is changing this by providing an avenue where our balikbayans can still buy the gift items they could get abroad, and even share the shopping experience with their loved ones.

Husbands coming home from abroad could get good points with the recent foreign bag brand additions to Fiesta Mall, such as Coccinelle, Ferrari, Coach, Fabbrica Pelletterie Milano (or FPM), and Bridgeway, among others.

Its liquor department is also now fully stocked with a great array of limited-edition alcoholic drinks.

Fiesta Mall’s watch department is now divided into three categories—Fashion, Mid-Swiss and High-end—to make watch-shopping easier.

Last but not the least is the chocolate section, Fiesta Mall’s top-selling department year in and year out, comprising 34 percent of the mall’s total sales.

Through the years, Duty Free has been constantly updating its selection of brands and items to keep up with the consumers and the evolving list of brands abroad.

For DFP, the constant challenge is to make the brands abroad available in the Philippines. Formoso says customers usually ask for US brands.

The New Duty Free is part of the Department of Tourism’s thrust to make anything and everything more fun in the Philippines. With Fiesta Mall’s latest renovation, even shopping is now more fun in the Philippines.