UK. Global Retailer has opened the first Ducati clothing and accessory airport store outside of Italy at Manchester Airport, with a high-profile publicity video accompanying its arrival at the hub (see video below).
The store is located in the Terminal 1 retail area, close to the executive Escape Lounges. Over 10 million passengers pass through the facility each year, flying with airlines including Emirates, Etihad and Lufthansa.
Its operator, Global Retailer, is a partnership between MDF Travel Shops, the retail company of Meridian Duty Free, and Safe Bag International, a European company that specialises in luggage wrapping at airports.
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The airport says the store is already attracting plenty of attention from motorcycle enthusiasts |
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Global Retailer Retail Executive Stuart Wilson said: “It was an interesting opportunity presented to us by the airport and one we wanted to try out. There’s already a diverse audience of travellers in Terminal 1 and we wanted to use that captive audience to showcase the Ducati product.
“It’s the largest terminal in the North of England and hosts millions of passengers every year and we’re already seeing several motorcycle enthusiasts visit the new shop.”
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To mark the opening of the store, motorcycle rider Darren Fry was involved in the making of a video in which he rides across the runway, into the terminal building, through the main shopping course and finally parks up outside the new store.
Beth Brewster, Retail Director for MAG, owners of Manchester Airport, said: “We continue to work on bringing big brands to the airport retail offer and welcome the addition of the Ducati store to Terminal 1.
“It’s a bit different for an airport but we believe it’s the right audience as there’s a large international contingent using Terminal 1. We’ve already seen that there’s a lot of motorbike enthusiasts using Manchester for travel and many have unsuccessfully tried to buy the display bike already.”
The airport is also running a competition to mark the opening of the store, with entrants able to win two Qatar MotoGP 2014 paddock passes with Ducati, flights with Qatar Airways and accommodation for two.
