The Korea Herald

피터빈트

Duty-free shops set to lower prices on dollar gain

By KH디지털2

Published : March 19, 2015 - 11:03

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South Korean duty-free operators are set to lower their U.S. dollar-denominated product prices as the greenback continues to strengthen against the Korean won, companies said Thursday.

Major duty-free chains, such as Lotte, Shilla and Shinsegae, plan to lower prices of products manufactured by Korean brands, such as Samsung Electronics and LG Household & Health Care, by roughly 3 percent, according to the companies.

Under the move, the price for Samsung Electronics' NX3000 mirrorless camera will fall to US$339 from $349, while that of the Galaxy Tap S 8.4 will fall to $427 from $439.

The price cut comes as duty-free operators adjust their benchmark currency price in line with fluctuations in the won-dollar exchange rate.

The won which traded at an average 1,027.3 against the U.S. dollar in July last year, has weakened to 1,115.5 against the greenback this month on growing views the U.S. Federal Reserve is poised to start hiking rates.

"We frequently adjust dollar-denominated product prices under our pricing policy. The price cut does not indicate an actual change in the value of the product as it is due to currency fluctuations," said an industry official. (Yonhap)