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John Sutcliffe: “We’re delighted with the store… We see it as a new benchmark for the country.” |
EGYPT. Aer Rianta International-Middle East (ARI-ME) is poised to open its new 2,000sq m post-arrivals duty free shop at the City Stars Retail & Entertainment Complex in Cairo’s Heliopolis area.
The opening is an integral element of the retailer’s management consultancy contract to run duty free shops jointly with Egyptair Duty Free Shops. The partnership was formed last year.
ARI-ME Managing Director John Sutcliffe told The Moodie Report that the store is being stocked while the final customised units are shipped in. The opening is “imminent”, he said.
The store is part of Egypt’s largest shopping mall and, said Sutcliffe, will be “easily the largest duty free shop in the country”.
Because of the complexities involved in getting personalised units through Customs, Sutcliffe said the “maturing period” of the new store would be longer than usual. “Normally we would allow two to three months – in this case it is likely to be six to nine months,” he said.
“We’re delighted with the store, which will be the best-fixtured duty free shop in Egypt. We see it as a new benchmark for the country.”
Sutcliffe told The Moodie Report that there had been no noticeable decline in traffic levels to Egypt since the July terrorist attacks in Sharm el-Sheik. The tourism trade has worked hard together with the airline business to offset any potential decline through a flurry of price-driven offers and heavy marketing.
MORE STORIES ON EGYPT AND THE COUNTRY’S DUTY FREE INDUSTRY
Terrorism atrocity in Sharm al-Sheikh is another disaster for Egyptian tourism industry – 24/07/05
Egyptair and Aer Rianta International-Middle East sign pioneering duty free deal in Egypt – 06/07/04
