UAE/USA. Duty Free Americas (DFA) parent company Falic Group has outlined its ambitions to expand its luxury store portfolio at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi and revealed plans to begin food & beverage operations at the location.
Also in the United Arab Emirates, the company will open a Blush fragrances & cosmetics store at a new hotel and casino resort in Ras Al Khaimah next year. Separately, amid an upgrade of the luxury offer at Los Angeles International Airport, DFA will debut a Tiffany & Co boutique.
These are among the planned initiatives across the DFA network revealed by Falic Group President Leon Falic in an interview with The Moodie Davitt Report. Full details appear in our Cannes edition which can be accessed at this link (page 132).
In August we reported that Falic Group had struck an agreement to acquire 100% of DFS Group’s luxury travel retail business at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi. This represented the latest step in a luxury retail and regional growth strategy for Falic Group and Duty Free Americas in the Middle East.
Falic told us, “Abu Dhabi is one of our most exciting ventures yet. It’s an amazing opportunity. I have been a great admirer of DFS Group for many years as a pioneer in this business. We have much respect for all they have achieved.
“We have been able to create a good relationship with them through the transition to our business at Los Angeles and San Francisco airports (announced in March), and this was a next step.
“We will introduce brands not yet there that we believe have a place, to complement the wonderful names already represented such as Gucci, Hermès and Bulgari, who we are proud to partner with.”
The company will add a food & beverage element to its portfolio at Zayed International.
“This will feature concepts that can live within that luxury environment,” said Falic. “We will introduce established brands and do them in the right, upscale way for that environment.”
He added, “F&B is a great opportunity and it makes sense to us. There are a lot of good players in that business, but we have managed to enter other businesses in the past and Abu Dhabi can be a great flagship.”
Expansion into Abu Dhabi complements DFA’s earlier appointment as travel retail partner at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, also in the UAE.
Falic expressed confidence in the long-term future not only at Ras Al Khaimah Airport but in the opportunity presented by the first-of-its-kind Wynn Al Marjan Island, set to open in 2027. In the hotel and casino mall, which is planned to open in Q3 next year, the retailer will open fragrances & cosmetics concept Blush.
“Blush will bring our best-in-class perfumes & cosmetics retail expertise to a major new hospitality destination, further diversifying our retail proposition and bringing the strength of our luxury beauty offering to Wynn,” said Falic.
Falic also commented on plans for the travel retail concessions at Los Angeles International and San Francisco International airports, following the transition from DFS to DFA.
Falic said, “We will rebuild and expand some of the boutiques, among them Hermès, and we will bring in new brands. One very important and very special move at LAX is the opening of Tiffany’s first airport boutique in the USA.” More details on this project will follow. ✈
