Rouge Duty Free – the pan-Caribbean retail power that now has stores in Trinidad, St. Thomas, St. Croix, Grand Cayman, Grenada, St. Maarten/St. Martin and Tulum, Mexico as well as operating the only Creed boutique in the Caribbean in St. Barth—will be expanding further with the opening this year of six new stores in Grenada, plus one in St. Croix, one in St. Thomas, one in Tulum, one in Grand Cayman and at least two in Trinidad.
Rouge Duty Free entered Trinidad in 2023 – its 9th Caribbean island location – and now the luxury and beauty retailer will take a giant step forward in Grenada in mid-July, when it expands its charming flagship in the renowned Port Louis Marina into six new retail outlets. The Rouge stores will be the key retail element in the new Silversands complex at Port Louis Maritime Village, which is going through a phased opening at this time.
The luxury Silversands Port Louis development includes a spa, exclusive residential villas, food and beverage outlets, retail and an entertainment hub. The Silversands “Luxury District Fashion Boutiques” at Port Louis, which is anchored by the Rouge Duty Free stores, is now nearly complete and scheduled for a soft opening next month.
“Rouge will be operating six stores in the complex,” explains Raymond Kattoura, whose company Duty Free and Travel Retail Group manages the business for Rouge in the Caribbean. “We will have one store devoted to Montblanc; one shop carrying tobacco, cigars and chocolates; a really high-end sunglasses store; an expanded boutique for fragrances and beauty; and a high fashion shop devoted to Brazilian designer Adriana Degreas, one of the world’s leading luxury beachwear brands, as well as French luxury swimwear brand Vilebrequin. There will also be a free-standing liquor store carrying a broad range of all the leading brands,” he tells TMI. “These are brands that fit in this Luxury Mega Yacht Marina.”
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Tulum expansion
In another exciting development for Rouge, the company will be opening a third location in Tulum in the Hotel Zone before the end of year – it will be located in one of the new hotels being built on the beach.
Tulum, on the Mexican Riviera, is currently one of the hottest destinations in the region. Rouge Duty Free was the first perfumery in Tulum.
At the end of 2022, Rouge opened a flagship store in the heart of the Archaeological district, in Aldea Zama, which carries an extensive selection of fragrances and beauty brands, a vegan skincare line, sunglasses and accessories. The store also features a Beauty Spa Cabine. The second Rouge Duty Free location is in Tulum Center at the Hunab Lifestyle Center shopping area.
Tourism in Tulum is booming, supported by the opening of the new Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport and the launch of the Tren Maya (Maya Train) project, which connects Cancun and dozens of destinations across the Yucatán peninsula, including Tulum. The new airport began receiving direct flights from the United States in March. Most recently, JetBlue inaugurated daily flights from New York’s JFK International Airport on June 13.
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Spirits distribution
Rouge is also expanding its operations by becoming a direct liquor distributor on the islands of Grenada and St. Croix. Among the brands currently in its distribution portfolio are Silkie Irish Whiskey, Wild Child Gin, Sach & Fritz Vodka and the Bottega portfolio, as well as a wide range of fine wines.
