POLAND. Baltona, the largest retailer of duty free shops at Polish regional airports, is today (30 August) opening six new stores at Wroclaw Airport.
The shops occupy a total area of 800sq m. One is landside; four are located in departures in the Schengen area; and there is an additional store in the Non-Schengen zone.
The Flemingo International-controlled retailer said the offer was inspired by the colourful heart of Wrocław, with the shops drawing on the architectural legacy of the city while offering contemporary retail concepts.
Stores include:
- Wrocław Duty Free, offering a range of perfume, cosmetics, alcohol and tobacco.
- Spirit of Poland, selling Polish products, including regional delicacies from Lower Silesia, local confectionery and other regional deli foods, cheeses, preserves and honeys, local alcohol products and local handicraft.
- Fashion Boutique, selling clothing and fashion accessories including brands such as Pepe Jeans, the Polish brand Vistula and a line of select Polish amber jewellery supplied by S&A.
- Zoom, offering a range of Polish and international press and books and multimedia and souvenirs, including locally-themed products.
Baltona Duty Free Chief Executive Piotr Kazimierski said: “Wrocław is playing an increasingly important role in the international arena, not only as a major business hub but also as an attractive tourist destination. It wasn’t by accident that this year the city was awarded the prestigious title of European Best Destination 2018 [by European Best Destinations, a Brussels-based tourism organisation promoting culture and tourism in Europe. Wroclaw was ranked ahead of Bilbao in Spain, Colmar in France, Hvar in Croatia, the Latvian capital Riga, Italy’s Milan and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. -Ed].
“On a scale unprecedented at regional airports, we decided to focus on local products and close partnership with their manufacturers.” – Baltona Duty Free Chief Executive Piotr Kazimierski
“From the perspective of both business and tourism, an extensive air route network and attractive airport infrastructure are essential. We hope that Baltona’s newly opened project at Wrocław Airport will become one of the important elements contributing to the satisfaction of visitors to the city, especially as we’re enormously proud to present our new shops.
“They are a perfect reflection of values for which Baltona has stood for years; in addition to a wide range of products tailored to suit our customers’ needs, we also want to offer them a unique shopping experience that exemplifies the nature of the city.
“Consequently, the spaces designed by The Design Solution [the London-based retail designer and planner charged with the project] are directly inspired by Wrocław, its colours and forms. Similarly, a modern and carefully selected product portfolio is supposed to reinforce the image of Wrocław Airport and make it stand out against other transport hubs in Poland.
“To achieve this, on a scale unprecedented at regional airports, we decided to focus on local products and close partnership with their manufacturers. In the innovative concept known as ‘Spirit of Poland’, travellers will find not only a traditional range of products associated with Poland but also a wide selection of regional goods from confectionery and spirits to handicraft and ceramics to delicacies such as honeys, preserves and local cheeses.
“At Wrocław Airport we also want to connect with more than 70 years of our history. Baltona created the Polish duty free market and many people identify its name with duty free shops and the benefits of duty free shopping. In order to highlight this, we’ve restored ‘two price tags’ and thereby a pricing policy whose aim is to underline the advantages of duty free shops. We’re convinced that this approach will be appreciated by passengers, supporting further dynamic growth of Wrocław Airport.”
“Our approach to the look and feel of the main store was to take an aspect from the character of the city and create a contemporary design which feels integrated into the airport’s fabric.” – Nick Taylor, Director, The Design Solution
Port Lotniczy Wrocław Chief Executive Dariusz Kuś said: “Wrocław Airport is one of the fastest-growing airports in Poland. The number of connections and passengers are on the rise, as are the expectations about our services. The emergence of a new operator, Baltona Duty Free, is another attractive offer for travellers.
“The modern design of Baltona shops aligns perfectly with the atmosphere of our airport and brings in a great deal of freshness. The shops offer a wide selection of various products, from cosmetics, perfume, spirits and confectionery to luxury clothing, handbag and accessories brands.
“A notable example is Spirit of Poland, a shop that sells souvenirs and local delicacies, among other products. The shop is particularly popular with international tourists, who visit our city in growing numbers. In addition, Baltona has opened brand new shops in the Non-Schengen zone and the public area.”
The Design Solution Director Nick Taylor commented: “The way this airport operates, passengers pass through security at ground level and the shops in departures located on the first floor in a linear arrangement facing the gates. Given the shop is not a walk-through, our first challenge was to ensure passengers were aware of the main store as early as possible, to get them to move into the shop at the initial entrance.
“Our strategy, when planning the shops, was to make the shopfronts as open as possible whilst providing enough back wall space. For the main store, we removed the corner of the store and created a powerful promotion at the threshold so that passengers coming up the stairs from security would see the offer as they moved up.
“Our approach to the look and feel of the main store was to take an aspect from the character of the city and create a contemporary design which feels integrated into the airport’s fabric. So at the beginning of the process, we visited Wroclaw and took a tour around this historic city to get a feel for its spirit. There are many unique qualities to Wroclaw, from the many bridges over the waterways, to the 250 ‘Krasnoludek’ – a mythological dwarf figurine found in the most unexpected parts of the city.
“Our inspiration was taken from the spirit of the old town square which attracts tourists globally, and is arguably one of the most beautiful in Europe. We created a leitmotif for the stores inspired by the Gothic gable ends of the gothic buildings and the colours from the facades prevalent in the main old town square. From this, the logo of the store was born – Wroclaw Duty Free.
“These ‘facets of colour’ were used to create striking three-dimensional canopies within the stores. We designed a new generation of fixtures for these stores, which give a crisp contemporary look and feel focusing on the product. In the Spirit of Poland shop, Sense of Place was enhanced by using warm stone ’setts’ similar to those found around the city and a local famous pattern from the Bolesławiec region. It was important for the designs to have a synergy with the airport, and so we extended the black glass concourse facade and created organic openings to the shopfronts with a reveal of timber ‘ribs’ to give an overall softer entrance feeling.”
Local and international partners
Baltona has partnered with leading international and Polish brands in the new offer. They include:
E. Wedel
Wedel is the strongest chocolate brand in Poland. Its portfolio includes Ptasie Mleczko, Mieszanka Wedlowska, chocolates, biscuits, wafers and chocolate bars. Since September 2010, Wedel has been owned by Lotte Group, the Japanese and Korean hotels-to-duty free powerhouse. The company has added a limited edition of its popular Torcik Wedlowski wafer cake to the Baltona offer.
Phenomé
Phenomé is a Polish brand of exclusive cosmetics made only from natural ingredients. The company portfolio includes facial skin, body and hair care products for women, men and children. Phenomé creams do not contain water; instead, they use hydrolates also known as ‘plant waters’ to nourish and hydrate the skin.
Ögon Wallets
In 2004, Ögon Designs invented the new concept of a smart wallet. The compact, fashionable and practical products enjoyed success worldwide. The wallets fit into a woman’s purse as well as a man’s pocket. Baltona worked with Belgian company Blue Storks, which represents the brand in travel retail, to create an exclusive model.
Orfin
Orfin is a Wrocław-based company that has been producing unique destination gifts and souvenirs since 2004. A wide selection of products promotes the beauty of Poland. In 2011, the company expanded its portfolio to include Polskie Frykasy products, which combine traditional Polish flavours with modern design. Those include chocolate-covered fruit, nuts, honeys and preserves as well as unique gift sets that can be found at Wrocław Airport.
Dr Irena Eris
Dr Irena Eris is a women’s beauty brand created by Irena Eris, Doctor of Pharmacy. By putting the idea of holistic beauty into practice, the brand presents a comprehensive approach to body and mind care. A range of luxury cosmetics by Dr Irena Eris are available in Baltona shops.
CEDC
CEDC International is one of the country’s largest vodka producers and spirits distributors. One of its flagship brands is Żubrówka Czarna, the only Polish vodka that undergoes oak charcoal filtration. Water used to make this vodka is sourced from the purest springs in the Białowieża Forest. The vodka comes in two variants, oak cask or ash cask aged.
Browar Stu Mostów
Browar Stu Mostów is a unique craft brewery in Wrocław, with an open pub where visitors can watch the brewing process. The idea to make craft beer and show the difference between craft and industrial brewing dates back to 2014. The beers are divided into three lines, WRCLW, Salamander and ART creative collaboration.
FOOTNOTE: Baltona operates airport shops and restaurants across nine European markets, including 50 shops at seven Polish airports – Wrocław, Poznań, Katowice, Kraków, Rzeszów, Modlin and Bydgoszcz. Since its privatisation, the former state-owned company has seen dynamic growth; in 2010, Dubai-based Flemingo International became the main investor for the Group. In 2011, Baltona entered the NewConnect market, making its debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange Main Market in 2013.
*The Moodie Davitt Report will bring you coverage from the official opening of the new stores at Wroclaw Airport tomorrow.
