RUSSIA/EURASIA. Gebr Heinemann is planning to open its first arrivals duty free store in Russia at Ekaterinburg Koltsovo Airport in the first quarter of 2019, to be followed by openings at other locations, including Moscow Sheremetyevo and Moscow Domodedovo airports. The Koltsovo Airport store will be run by Heinemann joint venture Travel Retail Domodedovo.
The planned openings follow confirmation that sales in the arrivals channel (first flagged in 2016) can proceed, with a Russian Government Order endorsing the new Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) Customs Code, which came into force on 12 January. The agreement sees new Customs rules in place in EEU states Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Gebr Heinemann Director Sales Eastern Europe & Central Asia Bernard Schlafstein said: “With our arrivals business we will present a comprehensive and varied range of duty free products to passengers, with a general focus on LTC and P&C products.
“We see a big growth potential in the opening of arrivals shops, as they represent a good source of additional revenue. That is why the airports are also very interested in this new model.” (For more on Heinemann’s expansion in the Moscow market, click here.)
Eurasian Duty Free Association Executive Director Fatima Dzoblaeva confirmed details of the long-planned Customs Code. “This means all international airports in Russia can open arrivals duty free. The same Order allows arrivals duty free at all international sea ports and river crossing points.”
She said she expected early stores to open in major airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg and in key regional airports such as Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Samara and Rostov-on-Don.
She added: “The opening of arrivals duty free shops is a complex procedure including compliance with required technical changes in the airport arrivals area. Then there is a special customs procedure for the shops to be included in the Customs Register.” She said this made it difficult to estimate when many stores would open.
She noted: “Retailers are at different stages of readiness for opening, and it is premature to forecast exact dates. What is absolutely clear [is that] all airports with departures duty free will open arrivals duty free shops, one per airport.
