QATAR. Leading eyewear group EssilorLuxottica and Qatar Duty Free have opened the largest Ray-Ban store in travel retail at Hamad International Airport, as part of the Terminal Expansion and new Central Concourse, revealed in November.
The 110sq m space features grey concrete surfaces and red-mirrored plexiglass, digital elements, large vertical mirrors and LED walls showing striking Ray-Ban campaign videos.
EssilorLuxottica Head of Travel Retail EMEA Matteo Goi said: “It is very rewarding to see the sunglasses category being presented and marketed as a true core category in collaboration with our partners at Qatar Duty Free, and particularly with a powerful global brand like Ray-Ban.
“EssilorLuxottica is pushing the category to truly come into its own, gaining additional visibility and securing such a sought-after high-profile promotion placement in the world’s best airport. We are very proud of this global-first not only for us as a company, but for this opportunity-rich category.”
Qatar Duty Free Vice President Thabet Musleh commented: “We are very proud to introduce Ray-Ban’s new retail concept in Qatar amongst many other prestigious brands at the new Hamad International Airport Central Concourse Terminal, an ideal location for Ray-Ban to launch its boutique.
“This is an excellent opportunity to place the growing sunglasses category front-and-centre in front of one of the largest passenger mixes in the world, and just in time for one of the biggest global sporting events [the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022].”
The store offers a wide range of Ray-Ban eyewear, with walls dedicated to Ray-Ban Icons, Ferrari and Kids collections. The product display system uses metal calamine cells filled with integrated light to maximise each individual pair of sunglasses’ features.
A new Aviator, with a yellow 18-carat gold frame and polarised lenses, is highlighted along with the travel retail exclusive Wayfarer with a semi-transparent grey frame and green lenses. The Ray-Ban Titanium collection is also featured.
The airport boutique also presents the New Legacy Limited Edition. Described as merging modernity with tradition, the style combines the Ray-Ban Wayfarer with the traditional headdress of Arab and Middle Eastern countries.
“With this innovation, Ray-Ban are aiming to reach the region’s Gen Z market, who are characterised by their national pride, traditions and strong link to their heritage, but also an openness to embedding modern elements into their fashion and lifestyle choices” EssilorLuxottica said.
*The Moodie Davitt Report Founder and Chairman Martin Moodie was on location at the inauguration of the extraordinary Hamad International Airport (HIA) Expansion. Click here to read his report in words, images and video.
Watch out for a landmark publication coming soon about the HIA Expansion, one of two titles dedicated to extraordinary recent projects that have set new benchmarks in the travel retail world (the other features the new cdf Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex).
This stunning development at HIA is anchored by The Orchard, a 10,000sq m indoor tropical garden with a 268sq m water feature complemented by a luxury-led commercial offer boasting 65 stores and 35 food & beverage outlets.
