Café Britt opens 220sq m walkthrough 'X-plora Antigua' store at V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua

ANTIGUA. Destination merchandise retailing specialist Café Britt opened a major “˜XPlora Antigua’ shop concept at V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua earlier this month.

The store is a private-public partnership – Café Britt has expanded the terminal in order to offer more comfortable seating space for passengers.

That 500sq m terminal expansion allowed the creation of Café Britt’s 220sq m walkthrough shop. The project involved a total investment of US$1.3 million and the retail operation will provide employment for 32 people.

Café Britt CEO Pablo Vargas with supervisor Desmond Bleau at the new X-Plora store

The walkthrough concept brings maximum footfall to the high-class destination merchanidse offer

The shop offers an assortment of chocolates, t-shirts, souvenirs and locally made arts and crafts. A chocolate product based on the famous Antiguan black pineapple, the sweetest pineapple in the world, will be launched soon.

“We are very proud to contribute to enhancing the experience of the Antiguan visitors and nationals who use the facilities of V.C. Bird International Airport,” Café Britt CEO Pablo Vargas told The Moodie Report.

“We are searching for local artisans to further develop the Antiguan sense of place at the shop. We have partnered with the airport authority and have created some 300sq m of useful airport space in addition to the store. Our investment shows our commitment to Antigua.”

Café Britt operates 60 stores in airports and other tourism destinations in Costa Rica, Miami, St Thomas (US Virgin Islands), CuraÃ§ao, Chile, Peru, and also produces an assortment of Britt coffees and chocolates.

The Peruvian stores at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, won The Moodie Report’s Destination Merchandise Store of the Year Award in December 2007.

Vargas told The Moodie Report that the company is separating its two business units into Café Britt (coffee and chocolates) and X-Plora (the retail division). That will result in the opening of further X-Plora shops in the region.