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(Left to right): Chacalli de Decker Owner and CEO Eric Demaerel, Airport Company Chairman Herman Buurman, Chacalli de Decker Managing Director Marc Leemans, Gebr Heinemann Co-Owner Gunnar Heinemann, Airport CEO Ludger van Bebber and the Major of Weeze Ulrich Francken cut the ribbon for the symbolic opening of the store |
GERMANY. Retailer and distributor Chacalli de Decker today inaugurated a new travel retail store at the German airport of Weeze, which serves Duesseldorf, northwest Germany and the nearby Netherlands. The company has been operating at the airport since 2003.
The 450sq m Chacalli Duty Free Shop is double the space of the previous outlet and offers a range of 4,700 cosmetics brands, wines & spirits, fashion and travel products to all departing passengers. In the first five days of trading, before the official opening, Chacalli said that sales had climbed by +55%.
More than 60 invited guests attended the official opening of the new shop at the airport. These included Eric Demaerel, Owner and CEO of Chacalli de Decker, Marc Leemans, Managing Director of Chacalli de Decker, Gunnar Heinemann, member of the Management Board of Gebr Heinemann, Major of Weeze Ulrich Francken and Herman Buurman, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the airport company, along with airport CEO Ludger van Bebber. Also on hand were Shop Manager Dieter Lemper and his 11-strong sales team.
Ludger van Bebber also announced the official opening of the new departures area on the upper floor of the terminal. After three months of re-construction, the new gate area was opened several days ago. It adds a further 1,500sq m of space to the building, including more room for food & beverage activities. The area now houses a new Café Tramezzini and a smoking lounge.
Seating on the upper level now affords views over the runway and back into the terminal. The airport has also worked to make the public area of the terminal more comfortable. A new transparent elevator will enable disabled passengers and visitors direct and barrier-free access to the airport restaurant. The panoramic views over the airport from the restaurant and terrace are attracting many local visitors, said the airport company.
The airport company and its partner companies have invested more than €1 million in the new facilities.
Chacalli de Decker’s airport duty free division accounted 42% of sales last year, a figure that it said would rise to 50% in 2011.
Speaking at the opening of the Chacalli store, Marc Leemans said: “We are only present in regional airports and have developed a flexible business model that goes well together with the dynamic approach of the regional airports. All studies show that regional airports are growing faster than the main hubs. The second reason for our growth will [will be this new store at] Weeze. Weeze is growing faster than any other of our airports and the opportunity we have received from the airport management to create this new shop was well appreciated.”
Leemans also cited the Trinity principles upon which the store was created.
He said: “In our industry, the travel retail business, the most successful airports have the Trinity model as a base. I strongly believe that this shop reflects the Trinity between Weeze Airport, Chacalli as a retailer and Gebr Heinemann as a supplier, here today represented by Gunnar Heinemann. We worked over the last months in a close partnership to make it happen.”
He added: “As a company we have made here the biggest investment in our history and present a shop which is one of the best you will find in a regional airport. We doubled the space. We also doubled the assortment. And last but not least, we will offer a ‘black tie service’ at ‘blue jeans prices’. Indeed our prices are not more expensive than the main airports such as Frankfurt or Amsterdam. And we will also serve our passengers with professionalism but with a human touch too.”
