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Aelia Duty Free at Bordeaux-Merignac’s ‘billi’ terminal – a first master concession for the retailer |
FRANCE. Leading French travel retailer Aelia has begun the roll-out of its new retail identity, Aelia Duty Free, to its latest stores at Bordeaux Mérignac and Lille Lesquin airports.
The company’s updated retail brand was introduced at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport in May. Now, the retailer said, it is bringing the brand to several of its key regional airports, and is tailoring the design for the passenger profile at each.
Bordeaux Merignac ‘billi’
Opened at the end of May 2010, Aelia’s new 355sq m tax and duty free store at Bordeaux-Mérignac’s new “simplified services” terminal, known as “˜billi’, is located immediately after security and features a walk-through format.
The range on offer in the new store is closely aligned to the passenger profile for destinations served by low-cost airlines – mainly European and domestic traffic, said the retailer.
In line with the new Aelia Duty Free store design concept, approximately 180sq m (half) of the shopfloor is allocated to perfumes and cosmetics and is clearly colour-coded pink. This is complemented by a green colour-coded area offering a full range of liquor, wines and Champagnes; an orange colour-coded area offering confectionery and fine food; and areas offering fashion & accessories and tobacco.
Making its debut in French airport retail is skincare brand Caudalie, renowned for its beauty treatments containing the polyphenols found in grapes. The brand’s inclusion in the offer at Bordeaux is part of Aelia’s drive to tailor its range to suit each airport environment, and to test new brands with “real legitimacy” in a given location, it noted. Other new local brands also on offer include Écume d’Arcachon cologne and L’Eau de Bordeaux perfume.
Among the highlights of the product offer is a dedicated wine cellar offering famous vintages from the Bordeaux region. France’s South-West is also well represented in fine food and confectionery, with several regional specialities prominent within the offer.
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Lacoste and Polo Jeans are among Aelia’s key brand partners in what is a diverse, rangy mix at Bordeaux |
Fashion and accessories brands include Lacoste and Polo Jeans, plus there are ranges of sunglasses, jewellery and watches. The tobacco offer is available to passengers travelling outside the EU.
The store at “˜billi’ more than doubles Aelia’s sales area at Bordeaux Mérignac Airport. Aelia’s two existing stores – the 202sq m duty free store in terminal A and the 72sq m perfumes and accessories store in the public area of Terminal B – will be renovated and refurbished (and in Terminal A, relocated) by the end of 2010.
Aelia Group was awarded the master retail concession at Bordeaux-Mérignac’s “˜billi’ in February 2010 after an open tender for a single retail partner in the new facility. This is the first master concession for Aelia. As well as the new 355sq m tax and duty free store, the contract covers almost 650sq m of the departure area, and includes a 120sq m bar and café – Taste N Fly – managed by airport catering specialist Elior, and a 110sq m news and gifts outlet operated by Relay, Aelia’s sister company within the Lagardère Services group, both of which also opened at the end of May 2010.
Aelia Group Director of French Regional Operations Pascal le Droff said: “This has proved a very interesting project for Aelia. We are grateful to Aéroport de Bordeaux-Mérignac for choosing Aelia as its partner to achieve its vision for the success of “˜billi’ and for the trust they have placed in us to deliver our first master concession. We have been very fortunate to have found two very professional partners – Relay and Elior – and we are grateful to them for their support.
“We believe the new Aelia Duty Free branding, and elegant and functional colour-coded store layout, combines with the walk-through design to create an attractive shopping environment for passengers. The range has been carefully constructed to include not just the leading international brands, but also the best of Bordeaux and the South-West, to meet the high expectations of passengers travelling with the low-cost lines operating flights into and out of billi.”
Aéroport de Bordeaux Mérignac’s Chairman of the Executive Board Pascal Personne said: “We are delighted to be working with Aelia to achieve billi’s potential as a successful “simplified services” terminal. The offer and design of the passenger lounge has been carefully tailored to meet our passenger profile and Aelia’s new store design integrates well to create a very pleasant environment.”
Traffic at “˜billi’ is expected to reach 500 000 passengers in its first year.
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The new store at Lille Lesquin Airport serves traffic to North Africa and southern Europe |
Lille Lesquin Airport
Aelia’s existing tax and duty free store at Lille Lesquin has undergone a transformation having been renovated, enlarged and rebranded, noted the retailer. The new Aelia Duty Free store opened in early July following the renewal of Aelia’s retail contract announced, after an open tender, in December 2009.
The 208sq m outlet carries a product selection closely aligned to the passenger profile of the main destinations from Lille Lesquin – mainly North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt), Southern Europe (Turkey, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Bulgaria) and French domestic traffic.
The range includes a strong selection of regional speciality products from Northern France to meet the demands of both the seasonal tourist and business traffic.
Pascal le Droff said: “Lille Lesquin serves a very dynamic region of France and a city that welcomes increasing numbers of tourists as well as business people. Our ambition was to create a dynamic and appealing store, reflecting the image of the airport and offering travellers a unique and exceptional experience, and we are delighted with the result, and grateful to Lille Lesquin Airport for continuing to place their trust in us. ”
In 2009 traffic at Lille Lesquin airport reached over one million passengers.
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The retailer’s new retail brand was launched in May at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport |
