ARGENTINA. InterBaires has got off to a promising start with its 100% walk-through Departures duty free store in the new Terminal C at Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport.
The 21,000sq m Terminal C commenced operations on 9 July and was officially inaugurated on 14 July by Argentinean President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
“The new terminal is an important stage in the major expansion of the whole airport,” commented InterBaires CEO Martín Leal. “The opening paves the way for the rebuilding of Terminal B, with the major new retail spaces that it will bring.”
The 750sq m store is accessed by an escalator after passengers process through customs and immigration posts.
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“The new terminal is an important stage in the major expansion of the whole airport“ |
Martín Leal CEO InterBaires |
Known as Mercedes Sosa Terminal, after the celebrated Argentinean singer, the terminal was built at a cost of 600 million Pesos (US$145.5 million). It offers eight new boarding gates, parking for 2,500 cars, and 20 new check-in positions.
Terminal C replaces the old Terminal B at the airport, and provides the new hub for Aerolineas Argentinas, serving both national and international flights. It can also handle additional flights from other carriers during times of peak traffic.
Airport operator Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 (AA2000) is projecting completion of the new Terminal B – and the overall expansion project – by late 2013 or early 2014.
“It is very early days but so far Terminal C is working well, and the per passenger spend and customer response to the store are quite promising,” Leal said.
Terminal C’s offer is limited to Departures, because arriving passengers will continue to be processed through other terminal areas.
Interbaires Commercial Director Rodrigo Manceñido told The Moodie Report that the Departures store follows the look and feel of the latest stores opened at Buenos Aires Aeroparque.
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Interbaires was profiled in The Moodie Report’s recent Latin American duty free supplement |
But different here are the lighting and display innovations to accommodate a 12-metre high ceiling and the back-wall made up of a window with views out to the boarding gates and runway.
“Because it is not such a big store, we are focusing on the core categories and core brands within these categories, following an 80/20 rule to have the majority of our best-selling products featured without a great degree of experimentation,” said Manceñido.
“Aerolineas Argentinas carries mainly Argentineans, so we are targeting our product mix to that customer profile, which is of course firstly for fragrances and cosmetics because of the good savings that we can offer, along with confectionery, liquor and local wines, tobacco, watches, sunglasses, and some clothing.”
Alongside the rebuilding of Terminal B, AA2000 has revealed its plans to build a 4-star hotel at Ezeiza by early 2013, in a joint venture with Grupo Fernández Prieto y Asociados.
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The Terminal C store follows the concept of the new stores at Buenos Aires Aeroparque, shown here |
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