Peace Arch Duty Free, North America’s largest land-border duty free retailer located on the Canadian border in Surrey, British Columbia, has embarked on a $6.5 million investment redevelopment project
The project, which Peace Arch founder and President Peter Raju says will be the world’s most luxurious land-border duty free shop, is being designed to significantly enhance the customer experience.
The newly renovated store will feature an expanded and elevated product offering, including internationally recognized brands across designer watches, perfumes and cosmetics, leather goods, destination wear, leisurewear, athletic and loungewear, children’s apparel and international brand chocolates.
The store will also expand its celebrated selection of Canadian products, including premium maple syrup, cookies, and other iconic Canadian merchandise.
The renovated Peace Arch Duty Free Shop will set a new global standard for land border retail, according to Raju.
Beyond the retail transformation, Peace Arch Duty Free is reinvesting in the surrounding property to enhance the overall visitor experience. Planned improvements include landscaped gardens, curated sculptures, and a children’s playground.
The investment is taking place despite the current downturn in cross-border traffic between Canada and the United States, the largest source market for the Canadian border stores, as the company plans to take advantage of the influx of international visitors for the upcoming FIFA World Cup games.
From its beginnings in a 60-foot trailer in 2003 on the Se-Mi-Ah-Mu First Nations lands at the Peace Arch border crossing, Peace Arch Duty Free expanded in 2005 with the opening of a 22,000 square-foot building featuring an 18,000-square-foot retail space.
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Challenges and opportunities
Over the past 23 years, Peace Arch Duty Free reports that it has navigated significant global disruptions, including the events of 9/11, the SARS outbreak, the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Today, the company says that it faces an unprecedented and unpredictable future, shaped in large part by recent policy and leadership changes in the United States that have altered the global trading landscape.
Raju notes that Canada’s land-border duty free sector presents a unique opportunity to avoid unprecedented U.S. tariffs, leverage favorable currency conditions, and strategically market products through Canadian duty free channels.
“Despite these challenges, Peace Arch Duty Free remains confident in the resilience of Canada’s land-border duty free industry. [We] firmly believe that these challenges will be overcome, leading to a stronger, more progressive future,” says Raju.
