King Power

King Power International Co., Ltd.
Industry Duty-free shop
Founder Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
Headquarters Bangkok, Thailand
Area served
 Thailand
Website www.kingpower.com, www.kingpoweronline.com

The King Power International Group is Thailand's leading travel retail group, based in Bangkok. The current chairman and CEO is Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

The company is the biggest travel retailer in the country, with its own Duty Free shopping mall in Bangkok’s central business district covering over 12,000 square metres[1] and branches at Suvarnabhumi Airport and major airports in Thailand. In 2015, King Power launched King Power Online shopping store selling duty-free and duty-paid items.

Recently King Power has won concessions in the reopened Don Mueang International Airport and Hat Yai International Airport. At present King Power Group employs over 7,000 employees and has become the first duty free retailer in Thailand’s Eastern seaboard with the opening of King Power Pattaya Complex in 2011. Recent developments include the expansion of branches in Don Mueang International Airport and Hat Yai International Airport.

It received the royal warrant from the King of Thailand in December 2009.[2] The garuda statue in front of its headquarters symbolizes that privilege.[3]

In August 2010, following agreement on a three-year shirt sponsorship deal with King Power, Milan Mandarić sold the English football club Leicester City F.C. to a Thai-led consortium called Asian Football Investments (AFI), owned by King Power Group's Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.[4]

Scandals

In 2007 the Airports Authority of Thailand (AOT) ordered King Power out of Suvarnabhumi Airport as it found that they had colluded with politicians, AOT board members and AOT officials to open at the airport without permission from the government. It was found that the contracts were void because they were designed to avoid the Public-Private Joint Venture Act that requires a lengthy selection process for any investment worth one billion baht or more by the private sector in a state project. King Power filed lawsuits against AOT in the civil courts for nullifying their contracts.[5] To date, King Power remain at the airport and have recently applied for additional retail space.[6]

In 2009, King Power and its staff were accused of being involved in an elaborate scam involving extortion of tourists at its Suvarnabhumi Airport outlets. A foreign couple were arrested for shoplifting an expensive wallet then instead of being handed over to the police they were taken to a hotel where they were threatened with lengthy jail terms unless they paid cash to secure their freedom. The couple allege they were innocent, that King Power were implicit in the scam and that a foreign mediator, a Sri Lankan named Tony handled the negotiations. King Power issued cctv footage of the couple allegedly shoplifting and a denial they or their staff were involved. After this story broke several other similar cases came to light.[7]

King Power Nationwide

King Power at International Airports

King Power Branches

King Power Online Shop

Industry Recognition

The Frontier Awards

Superbrands

The Raven Fox Awards For Travel Retail Excellence in Asia/Pacific

References

  1. ↑ "The KING POWER DOWNTOWN COMPLEX". King Power. 2012.
  2. ↑ Watcharapong Thongrung (December 3, 2009). "King Power banks on stable politics". The Nation (Bangkok). Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  3. ↑ Martin Moodie (December 3, 2009). "King Power awarded royal warrant in Thailand". The Moodie Report. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Thai consortium eyes deal to buy Leicester for £39m". BBC Sport. August 5, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  5. ↑ http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/1968-king-power-to-be-kicked-out-of-suvarnabhumi-international-airport/
  6. ↑ http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/238941/king-power-seeks-additional-commercial-space-at-airport
  7. ↑ http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigation/21361/scandal-at-suvarnabhumi[]

External links