SWITZERLAND. The Nuance Group today announced the opening of a 650sq m duty & tax free at Geneva International Airport.
The store offers an extensive range of products from the perfumes and cosmetics, wine, liquor and confectionery categories under The Nuance Group’s successful “˜World of”¦’ concept.
Nuance was confirmed in March as the operator of the duty free concession for the next five years.
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The Nuance Group’s elegant new store features a +44% increase in retail space over its predecessor |
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Via the World of Perfumes & Cosmetics and the World of Wellness, beauty products account for 60% of the space |
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The new-look store features a 12sq m central event space to add shopping theatre and to promote special products. For the big opening, Clarins has make-up artists to assist customers in the creation of individual new looks. |
The new store is located in Geneva International Airport’s Departures area, in the same location as the previous shop. It has been enlarged from 450sq m and undergone a complete refurbishment.
Some 60% of the total space is dedicated to perfume and cosmetics in the “˜World of Perfume and Cosmetics’ and “˜World of Wellness’ departments.
Nuance said that the big beauty brands are prominently represented with studios of the major brands, featuring personalised gondolas in their own branded environments.
Additional floor space has allowed the introduction of dedicated areas such as men’s skincare and men’s and women’s top ten fragrances.
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A new tobacco concept has been created, with the entire category located at the entrance of the store |
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From roll-your-own tobacco to high-end skincare the new store has all core categories covered |
A new tobacco concept has been created, with the entire tobacco category located at the entrance of the store and displayed in what Nuance called a “breathtaking black and white setting”. In an interesting innovation, the merchandise is not arranged by brand, but by purchasing preferences – for example, brands especially popular with UK customers can be found located next to each other.
The tobacco area covers some 25% of retail space. Adjacent to this strong offer – tailored to Geneva’s particular customer profile – the World of Cigars features a 20sq m humidor.
Geneva Airport’s cigar assortment has long been a hallmark of the retail offer, but the refurbishment and new space has allowed an even broader selection. A special feature is a wall bay dedicated entirely to limited editions that are only available in Geneva.
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Wine, whisky and chocolate all enjoy their own ‘World of…’ space at Geneva International Airport’s new store |
The remainder of the space is taken up by the wine, liquor and confectionery categories and their respective worlds: World of Wine, World of Champagne, World of Whisky and World of Chocolate.
Since securing the new concession Nuance has said it is able to offer customers a wine and Champagne assortment for the first time.
Swiss wines play an important role. An entire wall bay is dedicated to wines from the Lake Geneva area, with some 20 different producers represented.
In addition there are wall bays for the mountainous Valais region and the Ticino, Switzerland’s Italian-speaking southern canton. This strong offer of Swiss wines is complemented by gondolas dedicated to wines from the old and new worlds, approximately half of them of premium quality and sold at price points between CHF500 (US$485) and CHF1,165 (US$1,130)
A tasting bar is located next to the wine, Champagne and liquor area, presenting customers with the opportunity to taste what is sold in the shop.
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A strong spirits offer underpins the core duty free range |
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Swissness is a pervading theme of the store, expressed via Xellent vodka and a strong Swiss wine offer | |
The emphasis on Swissness continues in the World of Chocolate, where Swiss brands such as Lindt, Nestlé, Kraft, Favergé and Goldkenn enjoy a strong presence.
Nestlé, which is headquartered near Geneva, is present with a prominent gondola specifically designed for Geneva Airport by a local artist. The gondola is located next to a 450kg solid rock from the Swiss alps, which is placed alongside one of the entrances.
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The World of Chocolate sees some of Switzerland’s most iconic brand names come to the fore |
The store features a 12sq m central event space located half way between the two entrances to the store. The area is used to create events and shopping theatre and to promote special products. For the opening, Clarins is present with make-up artists involving customers in the creation of individual new looks.
SPECTACULAR SHOP FRONTAGE
In order to alert passenger to the store’s offer, two huge video screens have been installed outside the shop to promote and communicate different messages such as Nuance’s “˜Best Price Guarantee’, “˜Geneva Duty Free Paradise’ or special events including product launches.
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Andrea Belardini: “Our team has worked very closely with Geneva Airport and our key suppliers to deliver an innovative approach to airport retailing” |
Due to its proximity to the Alps, Geneva is a popular destination for skiers. As a special service, the new store specifically caters to the needs of the many passengers flying in on charter flights between December and April, offering 12 cash tills, an information counter and pre-order services for their enhanced convenience.
The Nuance Group CEO Europe Andrea Belardini commented: “We are very pleased to have completed the refurbishment of the Geneva Tax Free store, adding another state-of-the-art retail outlet to our portfolio.
“Our team has worked very closely with Geneva Airport and our key suppliers to deliver an innovative approach to airport retailing through the introduction of our “˜World of “¦’ concepts, including an industry-leading new premium tobacco concept; retail theatre as presented through our events area; and tasting bar as well as digital media displays.”
Geneva Airport Commercial and Finance Director Pierre Germain said: “This new duty free store is a milestone in the global refurbishment and extension of our airside retail area.
“We share with Nance a challenging objective and are confident that the concept will meet our customer’s expectations and contribute to the enhancement of our shopping mall attractiveness.”
BACKGOUND: The Nuance Group operates nine retail outlets at Geneva International Airport, comprising the general merchandise tax and duty free store as well as specialist concepts for fashion and one diplomatic shop.
Geneva International Airport recorded a record number of passengers in 2008 (about 11.5 million). The summer timetable for 2009 showed 104 destinations served by direct flights from Geneva (81 in Europe and 23 to other continents). The transformation of the duty free shops is part of a full renovation of the retail zone to be completed by the end of 2009.
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