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Bernabel Director Martín Laffitte says the new ferry affords unprecedented space for duty free retail |
URUGUAY. Bernabel Trading will open its largest store on the River Plate ferry route when the new Buquebus vessel Francisco enters service on 2 October.
As first reported inThe Moodie Report’s 2013 Latin America Special Edition, Bernabel has created a new-generation store of 1,200sq m aboard the ship.
Designed by the Paris studio of the Open D Group, the Rio de la Plata Duty Free store will feature a relaxation/spa stand, degustation bars for liquors and confectionery, a beauty goods promotional podium, and extensive brand placements.
At more than five times the size of Bernabel’s largest existing store (on the Atlantic III), the Francisco store affords ample space for a broad merchandise range.
“At last this will give us the chance to display a really extensive range of merchandise, and create a new concept of onboard store,” Martin Laffitte, Director of Bernabel, told The Moodie Report earlier this year.
The ship’s official launch is slated for Monday 30 September in Buenos Aires, with Argentine President Cristina Fernández and Uruguayan President José Mujica in attendance.
Built in Australia, the new rapid boat was to be called the Lopez Mena after the family that owns Buquebus, but will instead be christened Francisco in honour of Argentina’s first pope.
The LNG-powered catamaran accommodates 1,000 passengers and can complete the Buenos Aires–Montevideo crossing in approximately two hours – one hour less than the average for the rest of the ferry fleet.
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Soon to be reality: an artist’s impression of Open D’s cutting-edge store design for the Francisco |
