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Aelia UK has unveiled a striking new 633sq m travel retail offer at Belfast International Airport |
NORTHERN IRELAND. Aelia UK has unveiled a vibrant new-look retail offer at Belfast International Airport. The move came after the company recently renewed and extended its contract for a further seven years. Its initial contract began in 2004.
The centrepiece of the offer is an Aelia Duty Free branded 633sq m tax and duty free store in a prime location in the airport’s reconfigured Departures zone. The airport is just completing a £10 million investment and upgrade of the terminal.
The store offers a full and extended range of product categories from alcohol and tobacco, to food and confectionery and perfumes and cosmetics. In addition Aelia has opened a second 88sq m stand-alone dedicated gift shop, under the name The Irish Quarter. This aims to reflect the spirit of the locality, with its range of Irish fragrances, fashion, food, confectionery and souvenirs.
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A new retail era begins: (left to right) Belfast International Airport Managing Director John Doran, Aelia Store Manager Michelle Hunter, Aelia UK Managing Director Fin Casey, Aelia International Operations Director Bruno Bouchacourt and Aelia UK Operations Manager Phil Manning officially open the new main store |
Aelia Group Chairman and CEO Jean-Baptiste Morin said: “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to be part of the transformation of the retail experience at Belfast International Airport. We believe our new stores will give passengers the best possible airport shopping experience, whilst also optimising performance for Aelia, the airport and our brand partners.”
Fin Casey, newly appointed Managing Director of Aelia UK, added: “We’re committed to growing and developing our UK business which continues to perform well despite traffic decline. We look forward to maintaining and strengthening our partnership with Abertis Airports at Belfast International, and at Luton as well.”
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The Irish Quarter, Aelia’s second new outlet at the location, aims to reflect the spirit of the locality |
Brian Carlin, Director of Commercial Development at Belfast International Airport, commented: “Aelia has a formidable understanding of our vision for Belfast International and of our passenger profile, as well as the expertise to closely align the retail offer to our differing customer segments.
“Together, we have a strong working relationship, and this is evidenced by Aelia’s new stores which fully meet our criteria of being modern and service-focused – exactly the type of facilities we want to make Belfast International easy and convenient to use.”
Speaking about the new stores, Phil Manning, Aelia UK’s Operations Manager said: “It has been a tremendous experience to have shared in the transformation of the passenger experience at Belfast International. This is a great airport to do business with and we are grateful to Abertis for placing its trust in us to deliver the enhanced retail offer. We are delighted that customers are already responding very positively to the relocated and extended retail outlets. So much so that in our dedicated gifting store – The Irish Quarter – we’re already in the process of adding another till point to accommodate the exceptional demand.”
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The main store is notable for its easy access and excellent visibility; note the ceiling’s ‘cloud’ design in the kids’ area |
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Liquor carries a strong emphasis on leading brands such as Bushmills, Baileys, Jameson and Cooley |
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Brands such as Butler’s chocolates, George Best clothing and traditional souvenirs dominate The Irish Quarter |
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The dominant fragrances & cosmetics range is vibrant and well personalised |
In 2009, traffic at Belfast International reached 4.5 m passengers. The range on offer in the two new stores is closely aligned to the passenger profile: two-thirds of traffic is domestic with the highest spending passengers being holidaymakers to Turkey and other non-EU destinations.
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John Doran: The culmination of a major £10 million renovation project at Belfast International |
Rolling out the Aelia Duty Free brand
Aelia’s original tax and duty free shop, Les Boutiques, has undergone a transformation having been relocated, re-branded and extended. It now features the retailer’s black Aelia Duty Free brand identity (first unveiled at Nice in May 2010, and since rolled out to Bordeaux billi, Lille, and the two stores at Prague Ruzyne).
The store is designed to be easy to navigate with improved use of backwall merchandising and more promotional sites throughout the store. Colour-coded backlighting for different category areas is another feature.
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Phil Manning on the new-look Aelia retail offer at Belfast |
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The local Aelia team at Belfast International celebrate opening day for their new store |
