Lotte Duty Free has geared up to buttress local small and medium-sized businesses by offering its business knowhow.

Since September 2016, Lotte Duty Free has been offering consulting services on management to Joongwon Duty Free, located in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Joongwon Duty Free has been enduring a dry spell in sales since it opened in April 2014. Through the consulting services spanning brand negotiation, marketing and promotions both at home and abroad, business operating tips, sharing of sales systems, computer systems and logistics center, Lotte Duty Free intends to constantly help Joongwon to see profits in sales. 


Lotte Duty Free Shop has also been contributing to SMEs and young entrepreneurs through the “Tanky Family” project, the country’s first open-source character sharing project. Lotte’s multinational character Tanky Family, developed for 600 million won ($497,000), is available to use for free. In November, Lotte Duty Free partnered with premium chocolate manufacturer L-Ga to launch three Tanky Family chocolate editions. Lotte Duty Free and L-Ga have reached a deal to contribute 3 percent of profits to local community.

Lotte Duty Free has also built up creative facilities to support the marginalized in Korean society. Lotte Duty Free set up 116 containers around Seoul Forest in east Seoul and named the cluster “Understand Avenue.” “Youth Stand” at the avenue, for instance, is an educational program for young people, thus far helping 11 members successfully gain jobs.

In June this year, Understand Avenue was introduced to Said Business School at University of Oxford as a case of successful cooperation between public and private organizations.

Lotte Duty Free has formed eight Charlotte volunteer teams and put efforts to sustainable volunteer activity in partnership with local organizations. Apart from monthly visits to local community centers, the teams have 2,000 Lotte employees involved in completing 90 volunteer activities this year. Lotte Duty Free executives and staff are also engaged in charcoal delivery, free meal sharing, knitting hats for infants and more.