UK. London Gatwick Airport retail revenue reached £238.8 million (US$321 million) in 2025, down by -1% year-on-year. The figures include a back-dated element relating to new contract terms for duty and tax-free shopping through partner Avolta.
Adjusting for this one-time revenue, retail revenue increased in 2025 by +2.5%, with the business benefiting from North and South terminal refurbishments. This compared favourably to a -1.1% year-on-year decline in passenger traffic to 42.8 million.
By commercial channel, food & beverage delivered the highest growth in 2025, with a +3.4% increase to £67.2 million (US$90 million) in revenue.
This was driven by new openings such as GAIL’s bakery (an airport first), Pret and Starbucks, plus Gatwick welcomed Big Smoke and Venchi to its departure lounges.
Duty-free sales (which represent around one-third of retail revenue) reached £85.3 million (US$115 million) during the year. Adjusting for the one-time revenue in 2024, underlying revenue rose +2.8% in this channel.
In its annual report, Gatwick Airport stated, “The continued diversification of our passenger mix with the introduction of new routes, especially to African destinations, also contributed to higher spend per passenger across this category.”
Revenue from specialist shops grew by +1.8% to £44.4 million (US$60 million), supported by new openings such as Pandora and Monsoon.
Car parking grew +0.2%, boosted by strong transactions and market share, despite more passengers choosing public transport and competitive pricing. The airport opened a 3,200-space mid-stay car park in April 2025.
Other retail revenue benefited from the transition to the new jetty and bridges sponsoring partner, Uber and from higher advertising income following investment in new digital screens across the terminals.
Net income per passenger was almost flat for the 12 months to 31 December 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 (£5.46 in 2025 compared to £5.47 in 2024). However, adjusting for the one-time contract revenue in 2024, net income per passenger would have grown +3.6%.
Total airport revenue went up +0.2% to reach £1,132.1 million (US$1,520 million) for the year, supported by a more diversified airline mix and greater passenger choice.
Profit hit £334.7 million (US$450 million), down -2.4%, with EBITDA at £671.6 million (US$902 million), a -1.2% decline.
London Gatwick Chief Executive Pierre-Hugues Schmit said, “Our focus on excellent passenger service is unwavering. During the year, we opened our newly refurbished assisted travel lounge and also completed an upgrade to the departure lounge in our South Terminal, alongside welcoming a variety of new retail partners.”
Looking forward to 2026, the airport is set to benefit from improved runway efficiency and advanced technology driving higher aircraft movements per hour, alongside the Northern Runway Project adding capacity and economic benefit.
Schmit concluded: “Looking ahead, the development plans for the Northern Runway detail how we intend to unlock further growth for the airport, our local communities and the national economy. I am very excited for 2026 which is set to be a transformative year as we remain focused on making London Gatwick the airport for everyone, whatever your journey.” ✈
