SCOTLAND'S biggest retail centre is embracing a boom in overseas visitors by taking on foreign-speaking staff and introducing tax-free shopping.
Officials in Glasgow said retailers had seen increased interest in tax-free shopping by visitors. Now Frasers is setting out a plan to reinstate itself as the "dominant" department store in Scotland and has employed around 20 staff who speak Cantonese or Mandarin to target the "Peking pound".
The bilingual staff work in the Buchanan Street shop's luxury concessions such as Prada, Hermes, Miu Miu and Gucci, which are part of a £20 million upgrade of the store's ground and first floors in recent years.
Manager Paul Mitchell, 42, said: "It's a no-brainer. That's where the luxury economy seems to be sitting so it makes total sense. We want to be able to converse with them.
"The level of Chinese customers is phenomenal. What Glasgow needs to wake up to is that it's a global economy now. It's a huge opportunity. It's not just about the Chinese, we are working with some of the beauty brands to bring in booklets in different languages for their key products. We want to reinstate Frasers as the dominant department store in Scotland."
Spending by Chinese tourists in UK stores rose by 64% last year to £165m, according to retail analysts Global Blue.
Frasers' staff say it is common for girls to video-call family back in China to help them to decide which bag to choose or to ask them to transfer the cash to spend on must-have items.
A £29,000 Hermes Birkin bag has just been sold and there are eight people on a waiting list for the bags, which start at £15,000.
The store has also introduced new paperwork at tills to make it easier for overseas tourists to claim tax back at the airport.
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