With an increase in foreign visitors on the back of the weak yen and the expansion of tax-exempt goods, retailers in Kyushu are bolstering their services. Several stores have added one-stop counters for duty-free shoppers, and some retailers now deliver duty-free purchases to their customers’ hotels. Canal City Hakata will add a one-stop counter this July, and this April, Iwataya started delivering purchases to customers staying in two nearby hotels. According to the National Tax Authority, the numebr of duty-free shops opening in regional cities has skyrocketed. As of April 1, Kyushu now has 1,793 duty-free shops, which represents an increase of 2.4 outlets in just six months. The biggest increases came in Kagoshima (36 to 171 shops) and Miyazaki (15 to 68 shops), but Fukuoka remains head-and-shoulders above the rest of Kyushu with 1,011 duty-free shops. Nishinippon Shimbun 6/4
