US. A joint-venture partnership that includes Hudson Group has won a seven-year contract covering ten retail stores at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The contract was awarded by master commercial developer BAA USA on behalf of the airport.
The Hudson Group-led joint venture includes United Concessions Group Inc and English Concessions, both local Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise operators.
The joint venture will at first operate seven Hudson News news-stands, a Discover Cleveland gift store, a Hudson Booksellers bookstore and the popular Rock and Roll Hall of Fame store. The joint venture will invest over US$6 million to refurbish the stores, it said, “with an upscale image that reflects the genuine look and feel of the Cleveland metropolitan area”.
After construction the final configuration will include nine Hudson News news-stands (some with Discover Cleveland and Hudson Booksellers sections), along with a redesigned Rock and Roll Hall of Fame store.
The award was made last month and the stores opened at the beginning of June. Hudson said it gained access to the previous operator’s stores on Saturday night, May 31. All stores were open for business the following morning: Hudson News, Hudson Booksellers, Discover Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame store.
Hudson Group President and CEO Joseph DiDomizio said: “The speed and accuracy of the turnover was impressive, and must have set some kind of record for our industry. Performance at this level is a capability that sets Hudson apart from other operators. I deeply appreciate the experience and can-do attitude of our operations team, working closely with our terrific business partners, the airport and BAA.”
 |
Hudson Group President and CEO Joseph DiDomizio: Delight at the seamless transition at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport |
BAA USA President Mark Knight said: “The Hudson team made the transition look easy. All the stores were open for business first thing Sunday morning without a hitch. Existing inventory, new merchandise, IT systems, phone lines, cash registers and signage had all been carefully staged beforehand and set up overnight, so the stores were ready to begin serving customers at 5am.”
“We are pleased to have such a top performing retailer set up shop in Cleveland Hopkins International Airport,” said Airport Director Ricky Smith. “Hudson Group, along with BAA and the airport team, coordinated a flawless and seamless transition that did not impact the travelling public.”
Hudson Group’s 500-plus stores in airports and major transportation centres across North America generate sales of over US$630 million annually.
Top performing locations in 2007 included: Los Angeles International (US$96 million, with subtenants), New York JFK (US$65 million), Chicago O’Hare (US$55 million), Las Vegas McCarran (US$44 million, with subtenants), Seattle-Tacoma (US$43 million), Boston Logan (US$27 million), New York La Guardia (US$20 million), Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (US$19 million) Newark Liberty (US$18 million), Denver (US$14 million), Vancouver (US$14 million), Baltimore-Washington (US$13 million), Nashville (US$12 million) and Chicago Midway (US$11 million).
As reported, Dufry Group’s lead shareholder Advent International acquired a majority shareholding in Hudson Group late last year. Dufry in turn has taken a 10% stake in Hudson Group.
About Hudson Group
Hudson Group is a privately held corporation that operates more than 500 newsstands, bookstores, cafes and premier specialty retail shops in 70 transportation terminals and airports throughout North America. The company’s flagship concept, Hudson News, is North America’s only national newsstand brand, with a strong focus on reading materials as well as convenience items.
Hudson Group operates a wide variety of proprietary specialty retail concepts such as Hudson Booksellers, Kids Works and Euro Cafe. It also partners with national brands such as CNN, Crabtree & Evelyn, Godiva Chocolatier, House of Blues, Life is good, Papyrus, Quiznos, Radio Shack, Sunglass Hut and Tumi.
[comments]
Your post will appear – once approved – in The Moodie Forum on our home page
MORE STORIES ON CLEVELAND AIRPORT
BAA USA captures key commercial contract at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport – 07/02/08
Cleveland Airport issues RFP for retail and food & beverage concessions management – 22/06/07
