LITHUANIA. Travel Retail Vilnius, a subsidiary of Gebr. Heinemann, has won a tender to manage retail spaces at Vilnius and Kaunas airports for another eight years.
The company said that Travel Retail Vilnius impressed the majority state-owned JSC Lithuanian Airports with its plans for updates stores, a stronger regional focus in the offer and an enhanced customer experience.
Gebr. Heinemann Director Business Development Nico Reifkogel said: “Thanks to our comprehensive understanding of the needs of travellers and the future direction of the airports, we were able to develop tailor-made solutions to achieve optimal results together.”
Director Sales Eastern Europe & Central Asia Oleg Zhytomyrsky added: “After 17 years as a concessionaire, we were still able to demonstrate that we are a dynamic and future-oriented partner. We were awarded the contract for a further eight years due to the dedication and commitment of various departments at Gebr. Heinemann as well as the strong team at our subsidiary Travel Retail Vilnius.
“This tender win in Lithuania emphasises Gebr. Heinemann’s strong position in Eastern Europe and with the planned conversion, the locations will gain even more importance within the region.”
As reported in June 2023, Lithuanian Airports launched a Request for Proposals for more than 2,500sq m of duty-free space across four stores at the two airports. The contract runs from early 2025 to the end of 2033. The spaces cover Schengen (1,300sq m) and non-Schengen (585sq m) walk-through stores at Vilnius and a Schengen walk-through store (585sq m) and non-Schengen walk-in store (100sq m) at Kaunas.
The new walk-through store in Vilnius will offer more space for promotional areas, innovative product presentations and self-checkouts.
Travel Retail Vilnius CEO Orinta Amelija Ambrazevičienė said: “Currently, consumers are mostly focusing on regional products, especially local alcoholic beverages and sweets as well as tobacco products. But we will also be setting new trends.
“The beauty segment is noticeably on the upswing, and travellers will find a designated area for niche perfumes in Vilnius in the future. However, we will not only take current trends such as sunglasses into account, but also introduce new brands for Lithuanian passengers, as well as new concepts.”
In accordance with the 2052 master plans, some big investments are being made in the airports’ infrastructure, with the aim to establish Vilnius and Kaunas airports as central hubs in the Baltic region.
Only 100 kilometres apart, Vilnius and Kaunas airports serve different passenger groups. The capital city airport mostly caters to business and solo travellers, while Kaunas mainly offers flights with low-cost carriers, with a plan to serve more holiday destinations. Gebr. Heinemann said that conservative estimates predict +5% increase in passenger volume in Vilnius and a +7% increase in Kaunas in 2025.
Lithuanian Airports Director of Commercial Department Gintarė Norvilaitė-Tautevičė said: “We are very pleased that all parties involved continue to see the potential for further growth and commercial development at Lithuanian airports. The additional commercial space will allow the attraction of new brands, which can be presented more attractively in dedicated spaces, thus creating a better shopping experience.
“Despite the turbulence in aviation in recent years, we are sticking to our plan to purposefully expand and improve our commercial spaces, starting with the opening of Terminal T4 at Vilnius in the beginning of 2025 and larger-scale reconstructions in the Vilnius and Kaunas airports next year.”
The conversion work at Kaunas is planned to be completed by August 2025, with new areas at Vilnius Airport open from the first quarter of 2026.
Gebr. Heinemann has a strong footprint in the region and, in addition to Lithuania, is present with retail locations in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine. Despite the regional conflict, the company said it has “been able to maintain its business in Ukraine and is standing firmly behind its employees”. ✈
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