Food Hall and travel essentials tenders called for New York JFK Airport New Terminal One

USA. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Airports and The New Terminal One (NTO) today announced a Competitive Evaluation Process (CEP) for the Food Hall and travel essentials concessions at the privately funded all-international terminal.

The New Terminal One is being constructed in partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as part of the agency’s US$19 billion redevelopment of JFK Airport, with the terminal’s US$9 billion first phase scheduled to open in 2026.

The partners said the “once-in-a-generation New Terminal One, dramatic in its scale with moments of wonder, is designed to showcase brands at their best and cater to one of the world’s most attractive customer bases, while creating opportunities for local businesses and residents”.

“As two of the most anticipated airport commercial tenders in North America, today marks another exciting milestone in our partnership with The New Terminal One and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to deliver a world-class commercial programme for the world’s best international terminal,” said Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Airports CEO Dany Nasr.

“Building on our duty-free tender launch in March, our future Food Hall and travel essentials offer will create an experience that amazes our guests with a curated mix of New York’s signature global cuisine, local favourites and the best of local retail products.”

“As New York’s world-class international terminal, The New Terminal One will offer a dining and retail experience that reflects the cultural richness of our great city, while driving opportunities for local business participation,” said The New Terminal One CEO Jennifer Aument. “We are delighted to build on the momentum of our commercial programme launch in March with our partner URW Airports by embarking on these two new tenders, as we progress towards our scheduled opening in 2026.”

Food Hall

The Food Hall tender provides an opportunity for “innovative local and global market leaders that are well-versed in introducing new concepts and ideas and thrive at bringing new thinking to deliver best-in-class design, food, service and guest experience”, said the partners.

Structured as a single package of one landside and five airside units totalling 3,736sq ft, the tender will cover approximately half of the Food Hall in The New Terminal One. The team is seeking a partner with a long-term vision that celebrates “the best and most famous New York brands to provide a high range and quality of choice to guests while promoting a unique sense of place”.

With an overall programme goal of 50% New York local food & beverage brands, the operator will work with the local food and dining community to create “genuine moments of wow”, said URW Airports.

The tenderer should offer a variety of menu offerings that are presented in the latest in outlet layouts, design, innovation and concepts. All guests will be able to order food according to their preference whether it is directly with an associate, through a kiosk or on a mobile device.

Travel essentials

The travel essentials tender provides a platform for innovative players to “develop the best global, US and New York merchandise mix to provide a high range and quality of choice to guests and promote a New York sense of place”.

The team is seeking a partner to develop and operate a significant business that draws on global best practices and builds on proven concepts they have implemented to entice guests and enhance the travel experience. With a minimum 5% local product placement requirement, the partner will work with the local maker and vendor community to create new pathways into the airport.

Structured as a single package of three landside and four airside locations across 6,427sq ft, the travel essentials operator will offer an array of snacks, beverages, pharmacy items, magazines as well as specialised offers such as luggage, books and gifts.

Tenderers must demonstrate an efficient and convenient solution to meet guest needs, including state-of-the-art logistics, order, fulfilment and delivery that leverages digital tools to drive ancillary revenues such as pre-order, in-store collection points, gate and lounge delivery.

Potential bidders for both tenders must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by 13 May. Visit this link for more information.

Diversity participation

New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently announced a record US$2.3 billion in contracts awarded to Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) in the transformation of JFK International Airport.

The URW/NTO team aims to provide flexible entry points for Airport Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (ACDBE) and local businesses that balance customer preferences and commercial objectives while growing the capacity of local businesses to help them reach success. Both the Food Hall and travel essentials tenders require bidders to propose a minimum of 30% ACDBE participation.

URW Airports said it is “committed to lowering barriers to entry and providing technical assistance and support to ensure The New Terminal One reflects the rich diversity of its communities, creates strong career paths for local students and workers, and fosters impactful partnerships with local organisations and programmes including the Port Authority’s Institute of Concessions”.

When fully complete, the New Terminal One will be the largest terminal at JFK, with 23 gates and more than 300,000sq ft of retail, dining and lounge space over a total footprint of 2.4 million sq ft. ✈